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How can I make the underneath of an outdoor playset usable and not a mudpit? Based on this bulletpoint from the allowed topics: Which tools, materials, and best practices for home improvement task. I'm looking for advice on dealing with our playset. Specifically the area beneath it that they usually recommend being a sandbox. We don't want a sandbox. However, since we haven't done anything with it yet, the thing ended up being a mud pit with some interesting weeds growing. So my questions are: What materials and best practices can I use to make the area a usable "indoor" space for the kids with a flooring of some kind and maybe even a door or gate? What do I need to do to make sure the flooring is weatherproof and won't become muddy or allow weeds/grass to eventually poke through? Any advice on making sure critters, bugs, spiders, hornets, etc. don't decide to take up residence inside? <Q> Under our playset we have landscaping mesh with rubber mulch over the top. <S> The top layer of mulch is for comfort and protects the mesh. <S> The mesh keeps things from growing up through the mesh. <S> It's been there for 4+ years and not a single weed. <A> There's really two things you need to deal with - water (mud) and weeds. <S> The standard way to prevent weeds growing in a garden, sandbox, etc. <S> is to lay landscaping fabric under the surface. <S> This allows water to drain through but will not allow anything to grow through. <S> To control the mud, you need a cover material that drains easily. <S> Since you don't want sand, you need to consider alternatives like mulch or shredded tires. <S> If it wasn't used for kids playing, crushed stone would be a likely choice. <S> There are likely a variety of other materials available depending on your location. <S> This will probably need to be topped up every few years. <A> I would add some base board around the inside edges using treated lumber <S> and then I would run composite deck boards across the top and just create a flooring inside.
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You can also add a really good weed control fabric over the mud to stop weeds from coming through.
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Wall between House and garage is hanging over the concrete slab. Is this a major issue? We bought our house about six months ago, and we are first time home buyers, so please forgive my ignorance. This weekend I noticed that the bottom of the wall in the garage was about 1-2 inches over the concrete slab underneath. Is this a major concern? What could this be? I have a structural engineer coming, but he cannot make it until Friday. I'm just wondering what we might be in for. <Q> It is only an issue if it is load bearing. <S> If it is load bearing then you cannot have part of your footing floating (in the first picture it definitely looks like the bottom plate is outside of concrete). <S> Period. <S> Is it a thing that has to get fix right away? <S> No. <S> Engineer will give you advice on fix. <S> It is just a wall though and shouldn't be too costly. <S> If it isn't load bearing it is still horrible workmanship. <S> I would like to see what engineer says - since we are only looking at 2 small pics - but <S> I would say that at the very least you run a 2x6(ish) from ground to bottom plate and anchor 2x6 into concrete. <A> that's overhanging the slab, not the wall itself. <S> That's fine. <S> Kinda weird to have baseboard there anyway. <S> Even if the drywall is overhanging the slab, that's fine too (though a bit ugly and unprofessional). <S> I wouldn't worry about it. <A> Correct me if I'm wrong but from what I see floor level in the next room is higher than the one in the garage? <S> If that is the case this could be either forced out solution (so garage slab wouldn't be too high for a car to come in) either very handy one. <S> Handy because in case of some flood or whatever in a garage water wouldn't come right away in your home. <S> But I doubt that this is the reason. <S> no cracks, no traces of concrete deterioration. <S> Of course I'm only speaking about what I can see from the pictures.
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Only if the actual wood framing of the wall itself is overhanging the slab might you possibly have a a problem, and even, then, it would most likely be a fireproofing and air sealing problem, not a structural problem. Anyway nothing to worry about.... From your pictures, it looks like it's just the baseboard
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PVC lubricant for pipe and fittings What kind of lubricant can I use on PVC pipe and fittings so that I can assemble and disassemble easily. This is a stage made of PVC pipe that must be assembled and disassembled repeatedly. <Q> Plumber's silicone grease. <S> Silicone Faucet Grease helps reduce friction and provides long-lasting lubrication. <S> The grease is water resilient and oxidation resistant. <S> Resistant to most harsh chemicalsRetains its consistency in temperatures from 40 to 400 F. <A> Do you want to be able to easily assemble or dis-assemble or both? <S> there is a problem that the lubricant will also make the stage easy to fall apart. <S> your choices <S> If its a clean environment and you are not worried about mess.. use the petroleum jelly, otherwise go for the Spray Silicon (electrical grade) <S> dont use things like wd-40, oil, glycerin based jelly since they will affect the plastic. <A> My vote goes to a product called Super Lube . <S> It is PTFE (if you're DuPont you call it Teflon) <S> (Polytetraflouroethylene) and is food grade. <S> It works at a very wide range of temperatures. <S> It also works great for guns. <S> I used it on the washers in a pressure reducing valve to keep them from deforming and to help seal them. <S> Works great! <A> PTFE O-ring lubricant works ok on the threads of the Union but can make the outside slippery for a strap wrench so apply carefully
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: soapy water - will make it easier to assemble and remain hard to dis-assemble Silicone spray - is a good lubricant to use, since it is fairly non-reactive and effective Petroleum jelly - this is also good.. but will stick to everything and will get on your hands.
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How to put up a very small barrier on concrete to stop water running past it I have a concrete driveway that leads to the garage, with a very slight slope towards the garage. When it really rains hard, the water comes down into the garage. I don't want a very high barrier, just about an inch I guess would do. What is the best way to do this please? I will explore both good answers but cannot rebuild the driveway whilst I do have an appreciation for water and what it can do. This little wall will actually divert water from the garage wall to a channel that runs away from the property. <Q> Glue-down garage door seal (sometimes called threshold seal) sounds like what you want. <S> A rubber bump. <A> The two strips were joined using small cross-bracing pieces of wood screwed from above. <S> The strips were something like a 6 or 7 foot length of 2x1" wood at about 45 degrees to the ground. <S> I made the concrete bump in sections that length. <S> I think I used a sack of ready-mixed concrete to which I just added water. <S> It worked well because I have a surface drain one foot in front of the bump <S> and I just needed to hold the water a little from rushing past the drain into my garage. <S> It was only ever a problem when there was sudden heavy rain. <S> Whether this will work for you depends on your exact situation. <A> Do what I did, speed bump across the opening 1",2" or 3" avil. <A> I wonder if an old car tire could be cut into strips about 2" wide with a sawsall and dispose of the sidewall completely. <S> This would form 2" rings, you could probably get at least 3 per tire. <S> (Depending on the width of the tire).Then cut the rings open and lay out the 2" wide strips on the desired area and screw them into the existing pavement with concrete screws from local Ace hardware. <S> I imagine you would yield 4' long strips, (depending on the size of the tire of course). <S> So, probably 10 - 12 ft. of strip per tire. <S> If it works it would be a great ECO solution. <S> Good Luck!
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I had a similar problem, I made a 1" high, 3" wide concrete bump using some angled wood strips to hold it until set.
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Hot water pipe sticking up in back yard? Found that a copper pipe coming out of ground in back yard is the Hot Water pipe for the house. Turn on the Hot Water, the pipe gets hot. It is sticking up out of the ground and think this is NOT GOOD! Would this be normal for a house on a slab built around 1956 in Texas? Seems like it should be either running through the house or through the slab, not the back yard! It has a "nick" in the top of the pipe, so now getting worried it might start leaking, let alone the fact that it is sticking out of the ground. Would think it should have been buried about 4-8 ft down, not on the surface.... Any ideas? I understand Ecnerwal's explanation and what to do, just not sure I want to be the one doing it or that its a good long term solution. Having worked on building houses over the years, I've done anything from framing to electrical wiring. Even hung drywall, thrown mud and done simple texturing, but that's an art I've never been good at. One thing I've never done is run copper pipe. We always had a plumber come in and do this on the houses we built. Seemed like a lot of soldering and pipe bending - with a lot of patience. What I have never seen is sending a water line, either hot or cold, out through the yard to come back in on the other side of the house. This is where I think the 'jury rigging' has taken place. When? Who knows. My concern is, why? The home was built in 1956(7), so maybe the pipes went bad somewhere? Regardless, I would have thought they would run the pipe into the ground next to the house, not out of the house a good 10 feet, then back in (and built a deck over it!). I can certainly bury the pipe again, but I plan on putting in sprinklers and gutters to pipe water to cisterns. If I hadn't noticed this, the PVC pipes from the gutters would have cut right into this pipe when we did lay those. Should I be looking to rework this piping against the house slab foundation and bury there? Most of my building experience was in CA. Is this normal for Texas? My thought at this point is to call a plumber and see what they think. Just trying to get some ideas / opinions so I'm at least half way informed before I start paying out big bucks for a little issue (hopefully!). <Q> Carefully dig it out (a garden hose may be useful for "hydro-excavating" right next to the pipe, otherwise some careful trowel and shovel work) and figure out where it does run, then you can decide what to do about it. <S> Beware of possible other poorly buried items while you are digging (wires, etc.) <S> Remove the damaged section of line while you are at it, or change everything between Point G and Point H to PEX. <S> One relatively good technique for insulating underground lines is to build a box of XPS styrofoam around the pipe and fill that box with polyurethane foam; I'm not sure if you'd have to do anything special to make it termite-resistant, those are not an issue where most people I know are using them to protect heating lines running outside between buildings. <S> If you would prefer NOT to run it where it runs now, that is certainly an option under " and decide what to do about it " especially if you are up for tearing into the house as much as needed for re-routing the line inside the house. <A> It is possible this was originally used for a wood fired water heater? <S> Perhaps This would have been the precursor to the wood/pellet stoves currently in use in some parts of the country. <S> Maybe someone wanted a fancy outhouse (or other out building) with hot water. <S> Very odd scenario!! <S> What to do now? <S> It depends on how much time and money you want to spend to have thing function as they already do. <A> Original owners planned on an outdoor cooking area on the deck. <S> Hot water to an outside sink. <S> A natural gas line next to it for a grill.
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Assuming you have to work with where it comes out of the garage (Point G) and where it goes into the house(Point H), dig deeper and bury it deeper, reconfiguring the line to fit the deeper trench, and insulating it very well (buried hot water line sounds like cash leaving your wallet in a hurry.)
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Why do my water pipes jump when running water? I turn the water on half to full volume and the pipes make a jumping noise about every 4 to 5 seconds. The do not make any noise when turning the faucet on or off. If I run the water slow, it doesn't do it, just when I try to get a full stream of water. What can I do to stop this? <Q> It could also be that you may have some pockets of air in the pipes that cause them to jump or knock. <S> You can try shutting off you main water valve, then open all of faucets until there is no water left. <S> Then with the faucets and spickets open turn the main valve on. <A> At hardware store I worked at we sold something called a "hammer arrester" (sp). <S> It was a short piece of copper tube that was closed at one end; like a copper test tube. <A> Wherever you have access, strap down the pipes. <S> If you do not have access, you will need to decide how irritating the noise is compared to the work required to gain access and strap down the pipes.
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It's probably just vibration making the pipes wiggle at a certain flow rate where the vibration wavelength oscillates just right to be amplified into actual pipe movement.
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Parents cable box caught fire, hour later half the house is out of power? So, My dad was working on a leaking sink in a bathroom and my mom yells there is a fire. Their cable box caught fire, they put the fire out without a problem and mom called the cable company. While mom was on the phone with cable people, the house lost power but only half of the house.. My uncle is pretty handy with electric stuff and couldn't figure it out. There is no way they can afford an electrician. Any ideas please? Any thoughts are welcome <Q> It sounds like they have a floating neutral in the power. <S> If outside at the cable junction box take a look at the connectors. <S> If they are burned or melted then it is a floating neutral and the power in the house looked for a ground which the cable lines are grounded with the house electric. <S> This allowing the cable to get energized which can cause the fire <A> This sounds like either the problems are unrelated, or have the same cause (lightning strike or other severe surge), or the short that caused the fire drew enough current to damage the house wiring. <S> Two out of three of those suggest there's now potential for a much more serious fire. <S> If you don't have the knowledge to isolate the problem, please hire someone who does. <S> This is a case of "if you have to ask you shouldn't try, and even if you know what you're doing getting a pro may save your having to rip open walls for inspection. " <S> You can't afford not to have this done right. <A> It sounds like the fire and plumbing work are unrelated. <S> You should replace the old cable box and not plug in the burned one again! <S> If the breakers trip again, you might have a more serious electrical problem.
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If you go to your circuit breaker box, you should be able to turn on the circuits that switched off due to the fire.
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How to Get PEX to Seal I'm in the process of moving my laundry area. For the plumbing we decided to use PEX. Unfortunately I have been unable to properly seal the PEX tubing to the fittings on the final fixtures- they continue to leak with a slow drip. What do I need to do to get these to seal. We tried two different crimpers, thinking that maybe the first one was out of adjustment, but that didn't fix anything. We removed the first set of rings (using a dremel) and crimped on a new set, but the drip continued. We wrapped the hot water fitting with some silicone tape, but the water keeps seeping through. Maybe I should replace the brass fittings on the faucets. Other than that I'm out of ideas. What should I try next <Q> You need to evaluate where the leak is really coming from. <S> Use some paper towels to thoroughly to dry the whole fitting area. <S> Then watch to see where water first appears. <S> I suspect that you may find the leak coming from here: ..as opposed to the PEX joint. <S> It appears that you did not use a Teflon sealing tape on the pipe threads. <A> Looks like the wrong type of connector. <S> You can also get the push on kind, like a shark bite. <S> If you look at the picture, it has a gasket inside, and the whole thing spins freely when it's on the pipe. <A> Here's what I ended up using: PEX Barb Pinch Clamps: <S> Which required the purchase of one of these: <S> PEX Quick-Cinch Clamp Tool: <S> They are available from several manufacturers, at various price points, at Lowes and Home Depot (and I'm sure other places as well.) <S> This solution was a bit on the pricey side, but it worked very well. <S> I haven't seen a drop of water in the nearly three years they've been installed. <S> (Uhh, yeah, sorry for taking three years to post this... <S> but I noticed a lot of people have come here looking for help <S> and I figured it might still be helpful.) <A> Probably just need to seal the threads. <S> Its cheap, easy to apply, and almost impossible to goof up if you actually coat the threads all the way around. <S> Just keep it out of the inside of the pipe and only get it on the outside. <A> I'm using teflon tape to wrap a stubborn pex fitting made with pex clamps on a metal fitting after repeating the clamping process about 5 times. <S> No the tool is not out of adjustment, the clamps are fully crimped on. <S> Its possible the RV pex is thinner gauge than it should be, the ID is correct anyway. <S> I'll take my beating and laugh all the way home. <S> ;)
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We always use pipe thread sealant instead of teflon.
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What can I do about a Rough opening that is REALLY out of square? The house I am living in has a rather interesting problem. Due to what I suspect was Jack Daniels building inspections in this town in the 80's, the footing wall under the second floor dining room looses about an inch across 9 ft. The kitchen to the left is pretty level. If I jump down into the 8 ft crawlspace, I can actually see the crappy pour on which the builders just slapped up stub walls in which the first and second floors are built. To boot, the house settled while being constructed so the sag in that section of the wall was drywalled out of square. There are NO drywall cracks at the dining room window header corners so the builders knew this was a screwed up footing and stub wall. The house was also sheathed with that aluminum coated cardboard and then finished with aluminum siding that one can no longer buy. Now with all that being said, I want to somehow figure out how to replace the 6'0" x 4'0" dining room window which is 1" out of square. If I run a level across the sill, the left side is 1" lower than the right. As you can imagine, the left to right slider has a pretty nice gap at the top when closed under which I have, for years, been propping a yardstick under in the winter to cut the draft. There has been some slight settling in the window frame at the left pane, held in with double face tape, is slightly askew which tells me that the entire footing foible is being transferred up through the framing under the right half of the window. The exterior aluminum siding is the most problematic in my mind... I won't be able to find anything to match it or the lipped edging that the siding fits under that the window is wrapped in on the outside. Is there a way to get, maybe, a 6'0 by 3'10" window and then figure out how to trim out the window? I can't see trying to readjust the entire house on the footing and fixing that. Leveling the entire corner of the house now seems like it would really screw a lot of other stuff up. Thoughts? <Q> You can order custom size window at homedepot , low's or Pella etc, which is more expensive than standard size. <S> If feasible and depend on the interior and exterior of your building and compatibility with other window sizes, I suggest you make a rough-in for 5'0x3'0 window, that is standard size window, and after the installing the window you can correct the imperfection by triming the window. <S> Ofcourse the answer could be easier if you post the picture of your building and the area that you have problem with. <A> Inside of the walls, the window starts with just a few boards called a "Header" and a "Footer". <S> You could easily have somebody move, resize or remake them to fit almost any window size. <S> If I was in that situation, I'd remove the drywall around the window, get a slightly bigger window, have somebody remove, replace or re-position the header and footer, making sure they are really level ( in relation to the world, not the floor ) using something like a clear rubber tube filled with water. <S> Then trim or saw the exterior siding to the size and shape of the new window, dress it up with some flashing around the outside, put up new drywall and trim... a little paint, and all done. <S> Perfect! <S> Don't worry if a crooked floor makes the corrected window look wrong. <S> Once the floor is fixed, the already corrected window won't need any adjustment. <A> Then place backer rod, round foam, in the gap as a filler, and finally caulk with high quality flexible exterior caulk, or mastic, and scrape the caulk with a putty knife to make it smooth to fill the uneven gap.
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Eventually, you may want to have the floor jacked and corrected, and doing so doesn't affect exterior walls. It might sound crazy, but you can order a window like you mentioned, although only about 1/2-1" smaller in height.
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How to hide AC lines up against brick siding I had this AC system installed, and didn't realize when asked about what location i'd prefer the compressor that it would look so ugly having it off the corner of the building instead of in the middle (due to the AC lines). The return line and electrical conduit are rather large and look rather unsightly as you can see. There was no option of making the lines exit the building right behind the unit without doing A LOT of drywall and interior reconstruction. My front steps are about 5ft to the right of the picture. So this ended up being an eyesore. Suggestions as to how I make this not look so hideous? The AC installer suggested I get some tin roof gutter and afix it sideways so to cover this. Seems like that would be just as ugly. <Q> Give the ivy a few more weeks, and some compost to help it along. <S> Wrap the bundle in a mesh to give the ivy more purchase. <S> or put a short section of trellis in front of the bundle/wall for it to grab onto. <S> Disappearing bundle, like magic. <S> Shrubs <S> if you feel you must, but given the ivy is already working the area, let it work. <A> There are a few options. <S> You can get some brown gutter downspouts, cut out the back end and mount it over the pipes. <S> This is commonly done in my area but it is installed at the same time as the pipes so that the pipes can run through it without having to cut the downspout to mount over the pipes. <S> The brown downspout will be less noticeable but if you want you can try to paint it to match the brickwork. <S> You can plant some shrubs in front of them. <S> Or you can do both. <A> Something like a brick planter box
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I think the downspout will look better versus the gutter because of it's uniform shape. You could always put some sort of planter box in front/over it, like an upside down window valance.
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Get free-spinning bolt out of TV? I am trying to remove an HDTV wall mount from the TV, but: a handyman tightened one of the bolts overzealously, and now it's stuck. Specifically: The bolt turns freely, but does not reverse out of the TV. I assume the metal sleeve in the TV broke off, inside, and now my screwdriver is turning the bolt and the sleeve around it. How can I get this thing out of the TV, and thus free it from the wall mount? <Q> Is there a tiny bit of space between the bracket and the tv? <S> If so I'd use a hacksaw to cut through the screw and remove the bracket. <S> If space is really tight, try removing the blade and using it with your hands. <S> After that, you'll have to see what you are working with. <A> In the ideal world where people are responsible for their actions: "Hello handyman - please come collect your TV and drop off the payment for my TV, which you just bought since you broke it." <S> In the actual world where the handyman will probably deny responsibility you have to grind the head off the bolt (being careful not to allow the grinding dust/sparks to get into the TV, or to set your house on fire) so you can remove it from the mount, and swear off letting handymen touch your belongings in the future. <S> Alternatively you disassemble the TV until you can hold the broken part, if the mount does not prevent disassembly to that point. <S> Your TV may or may not work after that; they are not exactly made for easy servicing by the casual user. <A> I'd either try to drill out the head of the bolt (hopefully, it's a cheapie and not hardened) or set a hacksaw in the gap and spin the bolt with a drill. <S> Both approaches create metal shavings that you really don't want inside the TV, so tape off any ventilation holes and have someone standing beside you with a vacuum cleaner. <S> Be sure to have the person with the vacuum grounded, as vacs can generate static electricity that could zap your TV. <S> Maybe taking it somewhere is sounding pretty good at this point...
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If you are lucky, maybe you can get some epoxy or glue around the bolt inside of the TV to freeze it and then use locking pliers to remove the rest of the screw or drill it out.
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why does my ceiling fan change direction 2or3times before it finally stays in one direction? When I turn my ceiling fan on it will reverse direction several times until it settles into the correct direction. <Q> It's probably an optical illusion. <S> The "wagon wheel effect" You are probably viewing it in light produced by a fluorescent lamp rather than an incandescent lamp. <S> There do exist electric motors that can work in either direction but no motor will speed up then stop and start working in the reverse direction all by itself. <A> You probably have a DC motor fan. <S> The DC motor uses magnets so it has to align before starting this <S> is why you see it moving back and forth before it starts. <S> The DC motor also uses 70% less energy than a AC motor and will most likely last much longer too. <A> Maybe try taking the switch and jogging it back and forth and see if this helps.
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Your forward, reverse switch may be defective causing it to go back and forth.
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Should I build a deck over my existing concrete patio or other? I have a very challenging, small, north facing, graded back yard. The lowest portion of the yard is totally unusable. Attached to the house is a small concrete patio slab that at the highest point is around 3-4 feet, at the lowest is around 1 foot. Here are some shots of the back yard. Standing at the top of the yard Middle of the yardlooking down Standing on the manhole looking up Looking at the door So my questions are as follows: What kind of deck would best suit this type of back yard? Woodframe cedar/composite? A raised stamped concrete? Reminder that not a lot of light gets back here (north facing). If a Woodframe is the best, should I remove the existing concrete slab or build a deck over top of this? My neighbor built over top of his and I'm suspect to the wood rotting. Please if you have any suggestions on improving this area, please advise. thanks so much! Eric <Q> It's quite a drop off there on the manhole side. <S> If it were me, the priority would be to build steps of some kind there--or a railing. <S> Anything that is well-drained will not rot. <S> Rot only occurs when something sits in water. <S> You could certainly deck the porch over if you wanted. <S> My pet peeve is people who just stick wood in the ground. <S> The porch is so tall, that you could just anchor it to the sides, so it just hangs down. <S> Then maybe just have two footings for the steps. <S> Or you could put a skirt of steps all around and have footings every 3 feet or so. <A> Wood or composite is a great choice for it's ease of install. <S> You can use metal post in small diameter concrete footings (6-8" x depth below frost depth) if you are worried about post rot. <S> Should be able to ledger into the side of the concrete with some concrete bolts. <S> Trick is to leave a gap between any ledgers and what they ledger to. <S> If this cannot be done, use post and tie the post to the structure. <S> You can use a stack of galvanized washers to create this gap, 5 washers or so. <S> If a gap is not left, water will stay in the joint and rot any wood at the joint (ledger, rim joist, etc) over time, even pressure treated. <S> Failure modes on decks are typically at the ledgers first, then improper footings. <A> I would build an elevated deck on that, then use the space under to store stuff like rakes, tools and junk.
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The main thing to consider is how you are going to support the deck.
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Extra unattached copper line under bathroom sink So the bathroom sink has three lines underneath, all with shutoffs. Hot, cold, and another cold line. The second cold line is unused and older (it's copper, appears to be 3/8). Edit for clarification: yes, all three lines have shutoff valves installed. If this was the kitchen, I would be thinking refrigerator or filter line. But this is underneath the bathroom sink. Why would there by a third line in the bathroom? I want to cap it off, stick it back into the wall, and patch over the hole. Any reason I shouldn't? <Q> If there's a valve, then turn it off and remove the pipe. <S> Leaving the pipe and capping the thin refrigerator line will be difficult and error prone, and you're still left with a valve and two places that may leak. <A> Capping that third copper line with a soldered copper cap in an unaccessible space should not be a problem at all if you do not need it. <S> But I would not trust a push cap, shark bite type fitting. <A> Did or does your house have a swamp cooler? <S> I just found an extra valve under my guest bathroom sink. <S> My guest bathroom is located right by the return air duct so maybe crawl in the attic and see if you have a copper pipe running to the roof from where your sink is. <S> If you don’t have one simply go with your original plan if you haven’t already.
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If you're concerned the valve will leak, then shutoff the water to that line, remove the valve and cap the pipe there (or replace any T's with a straight fitting). If so, it’s more than likely just for MAU/Swamp coolers.
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Should I be concerned that the sill plate is not lined up with the foundation? I am in the process of building a one level home in PA. After the formed concrete walls were poured and the framing began, I noticed that on one side of the house that the sill plate was flush with the edge of the foundation wall in the rear, but, by the time the sill plate got to the front it was 2 1/2" away from the edge of the foundation wall. In summary, the sill plate walks from flush with the foundation wall at the rear to 2 1/2" at the front. This happens over about a 50' run. Any thoughts or concerns would be appreciated. Any recommendations on what sorts of questions to ask when I meet the site supervisor on Monday? <Q> I would be concerned. <S> (My guess is that the concrete is to blame, but I'm not there with a measuring tape.) <S> Among other things, it'll cost a bit more at just about every step. <A> Sometimes concrete just doesn't cooperate. <S> I'd say up to an inch out of play is the carpenter's job to deal with. <S> Two and a half inches! <S> is possibly a problem for lawyers... <S> Had the distance been fudged to one and a quarter inches on both sides, (harrumph) <S> maybe that'd be OK... <S> I'd be interested in what the permissible 'fudge factor' for sill plates overhanging the foundation is. <S> I doubt your contractor will provide you with any contrary information, though. <S> Also, don't count on the building inspector either. <S> They probably know each other (and if they do, he knows what he can get away with). <S> IRC code for sill plates is what I'd ask Stack Exchange for. <S> Anyone brought in from the outside will know to ask the right questions and of whom; my only question for them would be {point finger} <S> What The... <S> Is the foundation and carpentry square? <S> (one of them is not) <S> Should the sill plate be enlarged to deal with the foundation's offset? <S> What is the maximum permissible over hang and the minimum contact distance required? <S> Who's responsibility was the foundation contract? <S> (if you hired them personally, you may be in a pickle) <S> Who's responsibility was it to commence building and who signed off on the foundation? <S> Who's going to pay to make it right? <S> Do I need to call the BBB and some city inspectors to come and take a look if you answered the previous question with, me ? <A> Is it possible to bolt a steel angle to the concrete with a short leg under the overhanging plate to support it? <S> This is of course assuming that you don't want to shutter up and pour new concrete under the sill plate (fiddly but not impossible).
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Have the general contractor figure out who is out of specification and have them fix it. I strongly suggest that you don't let the house be built out of square. Difficult to diagnose without seeing and of course bolting a steel might look a 'pigs ear' depending on where it is and what the options are to 'hide' the steel.
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outdoor light post rusted out at the ground. How to I prevent it the next time? I have an outdoor free standing light in my subdivision yard. It is on a 5" diameter metal pole. This pole was driven into the ground and has rusted at the ground level and broken. I need to fix it and want to prevent this from happening again. I prefer not to go to concrete since there are electrical wires in the ground. How do I prevent this from rusting out again? <Q> Make sure concrete is above ground. <S> 3-4" is usually good. <S> This will keep standing water out. <S> Paint metal before putting it in concrete. <S> A metal primer and a sealant coat goes a long way. <S> Slope concrete form away from pole on the top 1-2 inches. <S> If you do this right <S> the concrete at pole will be about a 1/2" taller than concrete at edges. <S> Your pole is rusting quicker because of standing water. <S> Caulk concrete to post gap. <A> Make new post out of galvinzed pipe <A> There are many options. <S> For that matter, at 4-5" schedule 80 PVC conduit will probably workfine and never rust (it paints nicely) for somewhat less cost thanstainless steel, unless this is a really tall light (seems unlikely,but you didn't say.) <S> You'll probably have to go to a real electricalsupply, not a home improvement store to find that. <S> I guess you'd need to adapt for your light fixture, as 4" size is 4.5" OD, and 5" size is 5.563" OD. <S> The ID on 5" is 5.04" so a section of the original 5" pole might slip inside it to hold the fixture at the top. <S> Concrete is not so hard to do with wires - just put the wires in PVCconduit, at least for the part in the concrete. <S> Using a concrete basewith mounting bolts embedded and a metal post with "feet" that go onthe mounting bolts (held on by a nut below and a nut above) is thestandard method of mounting metal light poles. <S> The anchor bolts aretied into the reenforcing steel before the concrete is poured. <A> Your problem has been solved by science! <S> Use a galvanic anode . <S> Attach a block of zinc (bare metal to bare metal) <S> torward the bottom of your pole before you bury it. <S> The one catch is that you may have to isolate the safety ground from the pole. <A> I think it is pretty funny people think concrete prevents rust. <S> What causes rust is water. <S> Guess what is inside concrete? <S> Water. <S> Ever seen old bridges falling apart on the highway, with the rusty rebar sticking out and all brown and the concrete cracking and falling away. <S> You know why that is? <S> It is because concrete has water in it, and it rusts the rebar. <S> They put that green crap on the rebar because they think it will stop the water, but it doesn't. <S> My college recently rebuilt an entire 70,000 person stadium at a cost of $50 million because the old one was falling apart. <S> Why? <S> Because all the rebar was rusted. <S> The Roman colisseum has lasted for 2000 freaking years. <S> You know why? <S> Because it has no freaking rebar in it. <S> My college is going to rebuild that goddamn stadium every 50 years for the next 2000 years. <S> I wonder how times they are going to rebuild it before they stop putting freaking rebar in it. <S> Maybe they will never figure it out. <S> They will just rebuild the stadium 40 times, over and over again at $50 million a pop. <S> After they rebuild it 40 times it will cost $2 billion in modern day dollars. <S> Anyway, sorry for the rant. <S> This is why I have a dehumidifier in my basement where all my tools are. <S> If I were you, I would dig a 12 inch hole, 24 inches deep and I would put 4 inches of gravel in it. <S> Then I would put the light post in the hole and wire it up. <S> Then I would fill in the hole with gravel. <S> It will still rust, but should last about 40 to 50 years assuming it is neglected. <S> If it is painted regularly it will last about 300 years until it rusts inside out. <S> If it is painted regularly inside and out it will last forever.
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The way to stop metal from rusting is to keep it dry. Stainless-steel pipe would be the simplest and most direct one, givenyour non-concrete desire. If the location was flat or at a low point I would then bury drainage pipe 20" deep connected to the hole and leading to the nearest drain.
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How can I support an already installed shower valve? My shower valve was poorly installed. The pipes and valve were never secured or clamped to the surrounding framing. The valve rattles around in the wall and the cover plate has about a 1/2" gap between it and the wall. I have the handle and cover plate removed - thus exposing about a 5" hole in the wall. The shower wall is a solid sheet of material. The opposite side of the wall is my beautiful tile backsplash in the kitchen. Is there a device that will fit through the hole, but then un-fold to reach the studs and provide support? Should I just liquid nails a bunch of 2x4's to the drywall behind the valve and then secure to those? Any other suggestions? <Q> I'd consider canned spray foam around 2 or more pipes slightly back in the wall cavity (not around the valve itself). <S> Be sure to use window & door (minimal expansion) foam <S> so you don't bulge your drywall. <A> This idea will be better than nothing, and it may not stop it all, and if you have large tile rather than small tile, there will be less chance of damaging the wall. <S> Since the water supply lines are PEX or something similar, you might could use those too. <S> But to get at what the fix is, push the copper pipe that is at the top that goes to the shower head, the plastic (PEX) lines should flex enough to allow this to happen. <S> Push it back the 1/2" you need to get the plate flush to the wall. <S> Measure the space between the pipe and the wall board (tile backer) and cut a block that will fit the space. <S> This is also considering that the pipe moves easily. <S> The longer the block is at the correct thickness to hold the pipe the chance of it cracking the wall is lessened. <S> If it is easy to push back, the cover plate is made to still fit, if the valve is pushed back a little extra. <S> Once you get the block to fit well, use a painters caulk or something that will stick it to the wall so it does not fall out over the long haul. <S> Your idea will work too about gluing the 2X to the wall, but it usually takes a piece of 3/4" to 1" material. <S> You could use shims to get it the rest of the way once you get the 3/4" material in. <A> Thanks for all the suggestions. <S> I was able to wedge a piece of one-by in front of the copper pipe going up from the valve. <S> The board was able to secure all movement. <S> I used construction adhesive to glue the board to the inside of the near surface above the valve opening.
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If it takes too much pressure to push the pipe back, the block may crack the wall, the tile or both, from the backside by the pipe pushing back. The foam should have enough flexibility to handle expansion, and the wide contact area should provide solid stability. The larger tile I referred to at the beginning will help too.
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What can I do about electric code violations in a rental unit? My fiance and I are currently renting an apartment in Baltimore, MD and recently we have become alarmed by much of the house's wiring. Things we have seen included: countless wires that are spliced together outside of electrical boxes wires spliced together with only electrical tape inside electrical boxes wires spliced together with only electrical tape outside of an electrical box wires that are black spliced to wires that are white single wires running from one electrical box to another (i.e. only hot or only neutral) loose wires laying in the back of our cabinets wires pinned (and chafed) between our oven and sharp corners of the cabinetry lighting fixtures that are wired in series instead of parallel twisted pairs without any sort of jacket running from one fixture to another A lot of this was here when we arrived but we have personally observed a couple fixes entailing several of the bullet points above within the last few months. I don't think that there is any combination of grandfathering in and loopholes that could result in this setup being up to code but are things like this common in older(early 1900's) houses? We've brought it up with our land lord but he hasn't taken any significant action to correct the issues. Would it be excessively paranoid to insist that someone inspect the place? If not what type of inspection should we ask for? <Q> I had this same situation. <S> I made a (written) list of issues (with pictures) and gave it to the landlord. <S> When it became clear that the landlord would not fix them, I called an inspector. <S> It turned out that there was a completely different department overseeing residential safety inspection vs. building code inspection, but after getting that sorted, they gave the home a free inspection and gave the landlord a fine and deadline to fix the issues. <S> The landlord was understandably upset and asked us to leave, and we happily signed the lease-termination. <S> I maybe should have told the landlord that I was going to refer the issues to the city by such-and-such a date and this may have avoided involving the city and angering the landlord. <S> We probably would have been let out of lease under better terms, but there would have been no incentive for the landlord to fix anything and the cycle would have begun again with the next tenants. <S> I recommend you give the landlord every opportunity to fix your concerns, and seek a mutual lease-termination agreement if/when this fails. <S> Pay your rent! <S> If you don't and this goes to court, then It'll just end up looking like the you wanted out all along and used the safety issues as an excuse. <A> You should read up on what your legal rights (and responsibilities) are. <S> Most landlord/tenant law in the US is at the state level, but your city and county may have additional rules. <S> Most states have an easy-to-read summary of rental housing laws, and many major cities (including Baltimore, it seems) provide additional protection for tenants. <S> You should also carefully re-read your lease, of course, to find out what the provisions are for breaking the lease, if any. <S> Without a court order or mutual agreement with the landlord, you probably cannot just walk away. <S> Do not stop paying rent , although it appears MD law may let you deposit the money into an escrow account under certain circumstances. <S> Knowing what the law is will make this process a lot easier. <S> I don't think you necessarily need to get a lawyer at this point. <S> I have made several maintenance/safety requests of landlords over the years and find it's helpful to be as specific as possible about what the problem is and why they're obligated to fix it. <S> I also find that being confrontational right off the bat is not helpful, although I realize that with some landlords you might have to get a little pushy. <A> Move. <S> Soon. <S> Like this week. <S> And stop May's rent cheque if it hasn't cleared already. <S> Some of the rest sounds like a fire waiting to happen, and as someone commented will likely be throughout the building. <S> If your landlord gives you any grief about breaking the lease, tell him you will be happy to stay if the city electrical inspector gives the place a pass. <S> Then call the inspector. <S> After you leave and settle the deposit, call the inspector <S> anyway <S> so the next tenants don't burn up. <S> (In the extremely unlikely event that the wiring is actually ok, man up and pay for the inspection. <S> Possible if the wiring is actually low voltage.) <A> Two long for a comment , Several items listed are not code issues at all. <S> Wires can be twisted together and covered with electrical tape no solder is required. <S> Black to white in a switch loop can be found in every house I have ever looked at the wiring. <S> the white would be totally legal if fingernail polish, paint or colored tape in a color other than white or green is applied at the ends , Pined and chafed if it is the cord for the range <S> is not a code issue it may be a fire department inspection item in a commercial kitchen but no enforceable code issues there. <S> Fixtures in series still not a code issue. <S> I am not sure what good 1 wire to a box would do other than an antenna for a radio but where is the code issue or concern here? <S> Unless there are 2 single insulated wires? <S> Depending on the date of install this was legal to replace knob and tube wiring. <S> The only issue that I see that would be a code violation since I have been an electrician (70's) and repair work prior to my work would be the splices were required to be in a box. <S> Yes I believe there was a lot of bootleg work done <S> but as far as code issues not so many. <S> Having worked on the side for a friend that owned 30_40 rentals many built in the 40's I did testify about wiring that did not meet current code but since the wiring exceeded code when built I don't remember him loosening <S> but I was only directly involved in a few that I had done repair work on. <S> I do live on the opposite side of the U.S. and would urge caution <S> my friend had a lawyer on retainer that all he did was rental disputes and <S> the rental contracts covered just about anything in his favor.
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If the inspector condemns the place, and you are forced to move, then you can stop paying your rent. Just do some research and let the landlord know what their specific legal obligations are (i.e. maintaining a safe residence) and what your specific legal rights are (i.e. reporting to Baltimore's housing authority). Some of the things on your list are actually ok, like the taped connections inside the box (IF they are also soldered) and black-to-white splices (standard with switches). Just complaining that you don't like something or saying "the wiring is bad" makes it hard.
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How do I cut lengths of wooden beading lengthwise? I wish to replace some missing beading in a stairwell. I've only a limited amount of equipment and experience, but I figured I could get a mitre saw and some matching wooden edging and the right stain, and it would be a simple job to match the existing beading. When I went to buy some edging, I couldn't find anything that matched a piece that I pried up from the floor. The top piece is from the existing stairwell. It is sitting on the closest match I could find. The guy at my local timber place said the existing beading had been cut to shape. How do I cut the bottom piece to match the cross-section of the top piece? Do I need a table saw? The longest piece will be about 1200mm long. (This job just became much more difficult! Have I given up too quickly on finding a match?) <Q> The piece you have may have started life as the piece you just purchased and was ripped down to its current width. <S> The best tool for this is a table saw. <S> It would be very difficult to do it any other way. <S> many home improvement stores will cut down wood to custom lengths and widths. <S> They may be able to cut it down for you in the store if you do not have access to a table saw somewhere else. <A> Rip it using a table saw. <S> Set the width from the fence to the blade using your current piece. <S> This will get you the width you need. <S> When you rip it, be careful to only move the piece forward into the cut. <S> You'll have a tendency to move it sideways slightly due to the length. <S> If you have someone to support it coming out the other side, this would work best, but they too need not move the piece sideways. <S> If you do, it will leave saw gouges in the cut side which will be a pain in the butt to fix if they go too deep. <S> Small imperfections should not be an issue because the cut side will (usually) be on hidden side. <A> For short lengths, (a few metres) <S> I'd make a line with a pencil, clamp the molding to the edge of a table, use a cheap rip-cut saw (<£10) to cut outside the line then use a hand plane(~£20 2nd hand) to flatten the cut edge to the line. <S> If you don't fancy a proper plane, buy a cheap yellow plastic Stanley surform (the longer one). <S> It'll be fine for edges that don't really show. <S> This can be surprisingly quick and effective so long as you aren't doing this for each room in the house. <A> I really like @RedGrittyBrick's suggestion -- a simple way to get through the project without needed more elaborate tools. <S> Because of going with the grain, you can actually get well into the piece pretty easily. <S> At a certain point, you could snap off the rest and if the grain is straight, be done. <S> Any additional cleanup/fitting can be done with the utility knife. <A> Depending upon your 'bravery' you could keep an eye open on your travels for a working carpenter and ask him to rip it down for you (in exchange for the price of a drink), otherwise I agree that for a short length you'd manage with a saw and a plane/or some sandpaper on a block. <S> The secret is holding it very firmly. <S> Sawing along the grain is more laborious than across it. <S> If you are pinning it in place you can pin the trim to a larger piece of wood (overhanging to the cut line) to hold it whilst sawing and then use the same pin holes to pin the trim in place.
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Another method that I've resorted to in a pinch, that DOES work, would be to use the existing piece as a guide and make a patient series of longways scores with a utility knife.
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Cheap way to reinforce 1/2" Pipes I used some 1/2" pipe (I got it at Lowe's; I think it's typically used for gas?) to build a simple frame for a heavy bag, essentially an inverted U (about 6.5' high, 5' wide), attached to wooden feet, which are weighted by sand bags. It was fine for a day, but I have two problems; The first is fairly simple - the vibration caused the fittings to separate. The second and more serious problem is the pipe is bending just slightly - enough that I expect it wont last more than a month or two. While I know now I should have used stronger materials, I don't want to replace the entire thing. I'd like to know the absolute cheapest way to secure the fittings (Liquid weld?) and to reinforce the pipe itself. I was thinking I could probably fill it with something, but I don't know what - Would cement work? <Q> Replace just the top piece that the weight is actually hanging off of. <S> You can use 3/4" or 1" pipe for that, and then connect it to the 1/2" pipes of the sides with appropriate fittings. <A> <A> Find a pipe with a diameter that allows your existing pipe to fit inside. <S> Then cut is just shorter than your horizontal pipe, and put it over the horizontal pipe. <S> The top bar will not bend as much, and the side bars will not bend as much. <S> It may last a lot longer than you expect as-is, but this will reinforce it where it's needed most. <S> This piping isn't meant to be used structurally. <S> Once you get a large enough diameter pipe, it'll work, but the fittings will perpetually be a problem because you are applying significant sudden and repeated forces to the frame. <S> You will eventually need to add set screws or something similar to the joints. <S> Drilling a hole and using self-threading metal screws might be sufficient. <S> Once that's done, though, 1/2" just isn't going to cut it. <S> For the loads you are applying, 1" might be enough, but you should consider going even larger for a 5 foot span of pipe. <S> Keep in mind <S> you're not just supporting 70 pounds, but all the force you add to it when you practice, which can be several hundred pounds.
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Assuming the pipes are threaded into fittings, to prevent the fittings from loosening, you can use red loctite on threads before assembly.
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good practice for using a circular saw I am a novice DIYer and recently purchased a Makita circular saw (7 1/4"). The manual says that I should always put my two hands over the saw and that it is not safe to hold the saw with one hand while holding a lumber or plywood with the other. But, when I check most of tutorials or videos on Youtube, I often find that the saw is held with one hand while the other hand is grabbing the object. Is holding a circular saw with one hand a unsafe practice? Or, is the manual just over-concerning? Thanks, <Q> You'll often find that folks in the construction industry (especially those on YouTube), do not follow proper safety precautions. <S> Holding the saw with two hands will reduce the chances of the saw kicking uncontrollably, if the saw happens to bind or hit a foreign object. <S> It also insures that both hands are in a safe place while cutting. <A> Tester's answer pretty much sums it up. <S> The biggest mistake people make is not understanding how quickly things go wrong - they figure they will be able to get out of the way. <S> Here's a kickback experiment done on a table saw to give you an idea of how quickly things go bad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7sRrC2Jpp4 . <S> The man doing the demo is well experienced and he almost lost his hand doing this admittedly dumb experiment. <S> Your safest route is to keep both hands controlling the saw, and not need any hands to hold the board. <S> Even getting a helper to hold the board can be dangerous. <S> In the case of cutting a big panel (plywood), one way to do this safely is to place the panel on top of some thick foam and cut through the board, into the foam. <S> The board will be supported on both sides throughout the cut and you can safely keep your hands on the tool. <A> One hand on the saw is not a safe work practice, especially not for someone who self-describes as a novice. <S> Hang on solidly for a few years and then see if you want to adopt a few bad habits.
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Holding the saw with one hand is an advanced, and unsafe technique.
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What flooring material to install in a sunroom with wide temperature and moisture variations? Late last fall, we had a sunroom built on our nhouse, and we're trying to determine what type of flooring should be installed. We live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, so the climate will definitely be a factor. The flooring is plywood, with metal flashing around the outside edge at the walls. In January/February, the temperature can reach -35C (-31F). In July/August, the temperature can reach +35C (95F). The sunroom is south-facing, with all glass/aluminum walls, so the air temperature inside during summer will be higher than that. In winter, the sun won't have any significant moderating effect on the temperature. Compounding this, we have a dog that we let out into the back yard every day, so we walk through the sunroom two or three times every day, winter or summer. In winter, this lets a lot of moisture into the sunroom, which condenses on the windows. As we get closer to spring, the moisture melts and pools at the edges of the sunroom, and wicks onto the plywood if I don't mop it up quickly enough. We have been told that some flooring types won't be suitable (linoleum and vinyl, I think) because they get brittle in our winter temperatures. We were expecting to have to use some outside carpet, but one flooring company told us we could use laminate flooring. I'm getting a sense that the contractor is a bit of an amateur, though, and I've read that laminate flooring contracts in the cold, so I would expect it to shift as we walk on it. Can someone please recommend types of flooring that may be suitable for our conditions? I plan to have whatever we choose professionally installed (I'm not very handy). To clarify, the sunroom is a raised structure with insulation in the floor and ceiling. It is an unheated space, and with the temperatures we get in the winter, no amount of insulation will help an unheated space in January. The structure seems quite secure, with teleposts of some kind on top of concrete footings. EDIT: Not enough reputation to comment on my own question. My installation does not have any sort of pan. The walls are mostly glass with a metal frame, which stands on metal flashing. The flashing extends 5" from the glass/metal walls, and the remainder of the floor is plywood. Since we open the door from the kitchen several times a day to let the dog in and out, the air in the sunroom, which would normally be very dry in the winter, ends up having a lot of moisture in it, which condenses and freezes. In the spring, as the sun becomes more intense, the condensation melts and pools at the base of the wall. I mop it up every day to reduce the amount that can condense that evening, but a couple of times it has reached the plywood before I got home. My thought was to install whatever flooring type is best, then put a barrier of some sort (metal or plastic edging), then add a bead of silicone along the entire edge, to force the water to stay on the flashing until I can mop it up. <Q> Next to that would be tile or concrete. <S> Most other flooring has seams which will eventually leak. <S> Yes, you can place vinyl tiles, or even laminate flooring, if you appropriately glue/seal all the seams. <S> Eventually the seams will leak, and in the case of laminate surface scratches must be sealed immediately to avoid damage to the laminate below the waterproof surface. <S> A single sheet, if possible, will provide continuous leak protection across the entire floor surface. <S> If it's too wide for a single sheet, then a single seam is easier to keep sealed than the multiple seams found in other flooring choices. <S> Tile and concrete are both good options as well. <S> Regular maintenance and upkeep will keep them in good waterproof operation for the life of the house, while vinyl will need to be replaced every decade or two. <S> Even though it's designed to be an unheated space, you should consider adding a vapor barrier and insulation to the flooring area. <S> This will reduce the likelihood of later rotting or water condensation. <S> Keep in mind that outdoor carpet requires a sealed or well-draining surface. <S> Your current plywood would have to be treated and sealed for the outdoor carpeting to be useful. <S> The carpeting alone won't prevent damage to the subfloor - it will only avoid damage itself when exposed to water. <S> In your situation you need to protect both the flooring and the subfloor. <S> Regarding the cold temperatures, newer vinyl floors are much more flexible and resilient even in the fact of extreme cold weather. <S> You'll need to specify that both the flooring and the adhesive be tolerant to freeze-thaw cycles. <S> Be certain that your subfloor is substantial and secure. <S> Cracking occurs where stresses increase significantly on one area of the floor. <S> As long as the vinyl is well-adhered to the subfloor, and the subfloor is relatively stable, then the stresses from expansion and contraction will be spread evenly across the entire surface. <S> While these forces are large, they won't overcome the strength of the vinyl. <S> If the subfloor develops a large gap, then the stresses in the vinyl would be greater around that gap and that's where a tear might start. <S> So your flooring really starts with a good, stable, strong subfloor. <S> What you put on top, then, will be fine as long as it can deal with the water exposure. <A> Just been researching the same thing, with same requirements, and found some good information. <S> Sorry that it's two years after the original question. <S> Most laminate flooring I've seen - vinyl, wood or composite - has indoor office/home temperature range . <S> Some will go down to freezing (0C/32F) or lower. <S> If there's no rating, assume it's normal household/office. <S> For waterproof , vinyl is a frequently mentioned. <S> Again, check the spec sheets. <S> If it doesn't say so, it's not waterproof. <S> I've seen some crappy vinyl stuff in stores, where even the samples on the shelf - not being walked on! - have the top layer peeling back like wallpaper. <S> And water... I've seen the horrid effects of a window left open when it's raining. <S> Only takes one soaking to ruin it. <S> Dogs and people walking across it from outside mean <S> you want some decent abrasion resistance . <S> That's the primary meaning of the AC ratings with the higher the AC (usually topping out at AC6) the better. <S> Higher number usually corresponds to longer warranty. <S> Temperature range will expand/contract the material. <S> It's expected that you will leave a gap at the walls to accommodate this, with the gap covered by leaving some tuck space under your drywall and/or using an appropriately thick baseboard and quarter-round. <S> Yes, you can get something to meet all these conditions. <S> I've seen some very nice waterproof, wood-look, click vinyl laminate <S> that's temperature rated from -40C to +45C ( <S> -40F to +110F), with an AC6+ rating. <S> Whatever you do, you need to fix your moisture problem. <S> Some well-placed ventilation should do it - just like an attic, where you put roof vents above the insulation. <S> It's either that, or properly insulate the room - which may not be a option because of the glass. <S> The moisture might not affect the flooring you select, but will probably get through to the underfloor and rot it out. <S> If you built the room yourself... <S> well, live and learn. <S> If a contractor build it and didn't tell you about this... do not recommend the contract to anyone you like. <A> From what I have read it sounds to me that you have a bigger issue than just flooring. <S> It looks to me that you don't have thermal insulation on both floor and walls (or at least at one of those); or if you do have some insulation it is not thick enough. <S> So for start you should put some insulation. <S> Now when it comes to flooring I would suggest polyurethane self-leveling floors. <S> I think you will find them to be suitable for this situation. <S> But, before self-leveling floor you should pour cement screed. <S> Make sure that it is reinforced because these floors are really strong and sometimes can pull up screed. <A> You could use vinyl but you would have to use a 2 part epoxy adhesive if you go onto Altro web site and speak to there technical team ask them questions they will tell you what to do I'm from England <S> but I fit flooring for a living <S> and we have to do flooring in walkin freezers sometimes <S> and we fit Altro 2.5mm <S> anti slip with Altro A19 epoxy adhesive if they are any joints they can be heat welded so no leaks <S> the adhesive also works under hot conditions also
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Your best option is sheet vinyl. You'll be looking at a floating floor (i.e. not nailed or glued), which is typical for laminates.
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Should roofing nails be visible in the attic? I have a colonial built in 1913 and I live in NYS. My roof was just completed today and I have exposed nails across the entire roof! It was not like this before. When I asked the contractor about it, he said this is normal, but I'm having a difficult time accepting this answer. I have included a picture to show what the entire roof looks like from the inside of the attic. <Q> That's perfectly normal. <S> I would have preferred to see the vertical joints in the sheathing line up with the rafters, but that's about it. <A> Most sheeting now is 1/2 to 3/4 at most and a shingle is only about an 1/8 <S> so with that being said the distance with synthetic is about an inch. <S> If your using a nail gun, which most roofers do, then your coils are 1 1/4 inch long at a low end (they don’t make smaller). <S> So, unless your hand nailing, yes there will be about a 1/4 inch showing. <S> It is normal for this to happen; it is unlikely for there to be no nails showing unless your roof is made of planks, in which case they won’t show. <A> I think there is a big problem with nails extending through the sheathing into the attic space. <S> When the temperature falls below 32 degrees the humidity in the air will condense on the nails (frost). <S> Above 32 degrees, the frost melts and water soaks back up into the wood (capillary action) and over a few winters you will have a moist wood surface - and a mold problem. <S> That is the cause of my problem, I think. <S> I know proper attic ventilation - air flow - is suppose to eliminate humidity but humidity is in all the outside air. <S> The humidity is increased by improper ventilation from bathrooms etc, but air flow does not eliminate or reduce humidity in the air. <S> Temps around 32 and humidity around 70 to 90 will result in frost and water and mold. <S> Nails extending through the sheathing seem to be source of a serious problem in my attic. <S> Other opinions most welcome. <A> Once you fully nail through the roofing wood to the other side you end up with a stress fracture for moisture from both sides.nails should nit reach the full thickness to the floor roofing material and <S> if its a new home structure as it makes the electricians and heating /cooling people work slower at times too.
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Roofing nails actually should come through about a quarter inch - I'd be more concerned if they didn't.
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Mark 2 points on parallel walls directly opposite each other I am about to mount some steel pipe which spans from one wall of a room to the opposite wall. (Here's why: Mount Pull-up bar from wall to wall ) How do I accurately mark two points on facing parallel walls so that the points are directly opposite each other? By directly opposite, I mean that the line joining the points should be horizontal and should also be perpendicular to both walls. Additionally, I have a hook suspended from my ceiling and it would be nice if I could accurately mark the points so that the line joining them passes directly below this hook in addition to being level and perpendicular to the walls. <Q> Why not buy the pipe, and make the marks based on that. <S> That is, have a level, hold the pipe up and level it, then mark where it touches the wall. <S> A friend would help, so might hanging or otherwise supporting the pipe from either above or below as you do this. <A> Point is being off a 1/4" or so in any direction for something like that is not going to be a problem. <S> Probably be more accurate that way than a level if you are not used to using a level. <A> Take a laser pointer mount it on wooden square (4x4x1 cm)piece perpendicularly by making hole in center and fix it. <S> Now place on the wall at desired height laser points exactly horizontal on opposite wall. <S> That's it. <S> LASER travel straight line. <A> This old house will have a clip on how to do it.
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Just measure up, and measure over from the nearest wall on each side. We'd just shoot our laser on it with a horizontal self leveling plane. Get a tube file it with water, a water always finds its level. I guarantee the walls are not parallel but you may not notice it.
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How to support the subfloor around a toilet between I joists I'm replacing some rotted subfloor around a toilet, and I want to add blocking around the flange for extra support, and to give me a place to support the new pieces of subfloor (I'm not planning on replacing the flange). What complicates things is a pipe running parallel to the joists just an inch or so beneath the subfloor. Picture: My thought was to first fill out the joist webbing (yellow) and then build a box (white) to surround the plumbing (red). The horizontal beams perpendicular to the joists could only be as thick as the joist flange due to the upper pipe. Would this approach provide decent support for the replacement floor and the toilet? If so, what kind of materials would be ideal to use? <Q> For Future Viewers: Right idea, but WAY too complicated for minimal support & no screwing for the flange. <S> With a Flange in place you'd build it without the right side's {bottom} joist attachment so you can dry-fit everything & finish inner attachments to then LASTLY screw to the joists. <S> Stand up 2x4's to be attached to joists LAST. <S> Then, bridge the Stand-Ups with 2x4's On-Flat. <S> You screw through the Stand-Ups & into the ends of the On-Flats (do just the left Stand-Up {top} configuration if a Flange is in place). <S> Then, you bridge the On-Flats with a shorter On-Flat. <S> First, screw that in from the left Stand-Up to hold it in place & toe-nail screws on either end at the Flange side. <S> Also, toe nail what can fit On-Flat on the right side {bottom} of the Flange Finish by just screwing outward (& angled upward for this Askers I-beam pictures) through the Stand-Ups & into the joists. <S> This should be snug to the Flange's underside collar or the drain pipe, depending on your subfloor elevation. <S> The On-Flats even allow you to cut or drill the platform frame for an actual tight fit complete circle. <S> Of course, adjust this proven design to your actual application. <A> You need to install the sub floor and any blocking before the toilet flange. <S> Typically you would scab 2x4's much like your picture for ease. <S> The only difference is the bottom horizontal members (bottom between joist) are not needed. <S> Install the blocking first. <S> Then sub floor. <S> Then underlayment, if any, then toilet flange last. <A> If you're willing to pop more tiles, you could run 2 pieces of lumber (2x4/2x6 -- the biggest you can fit) on the flat, parallel to the joists. <S> They'd be wider than the hole by a foot on either side, and you could get good screws through the subfloor <S> (I'm assuming it's sound) to hold them up. <S> Alternately, can you re-route <S> the shower drain pipe to give you more room? <S> Then lumber on edge, perpendicular to the joists, with some sort of joist hangers to the i-beam would be ideal. <A> It is possible to do this, although I think it might be easier to cut the waste line on the horizontal run and plumb up another pipe upon which to install a toilet flange after the new floor is installed. <S> If you are installing tile, the flange should go OVER the tile, for proper height of flange to toilet seal. <S> Secondly, I would use nails or structural screws to anchor supports for the floor directly to the other floor joists not the the new ledgers as shown in your drawing.
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With NO FLANGE in place, build a frame first, not piece by piece in the floor. Really, we would cut half way on the joist, install 2x4 blocks horizontal between the joist under the subfloor halfway on the edge of the existing subfloor to tie the sheets together, then install the subfloor.
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Compatibility of aluminum fittings with brass rough-in valve I am wanting to add a permanent electronic temperature sensor to a brass rough-in shower valve. For this particular rough-in valve, I can thread a thermowell into the outlet that is normally used for the tub spout, since no tub spout is used. I can easily turn and thread an aluminum thermowell with my lathe, but I want to ensure that the aluminum and brass will be compatible (i.e. no corrosion) in this application. I have not been able to find any data on using these two metals together in a potable water application. The reason is I'm trying to avoid having to purchase the more expensive brass stock, and utilize my existing aluminum bar stock instead :) Thanks! <Q> It will corrode quickly. <S> The Aluminum will break down. <S> I recommend that you put a non-metallic barrier between the two. <S> If you want to do it on the cheap, and If you have some Never-Seez or even some PTFE tape laying around, do it. <S> Check it in a few months, replace the barrier, check again later. <S> Galvanic Corrosion happens because of the different in electrical potential. <S> The amount of difference (and the environment) that determines how fast one metal will corrode. <S> Aluminum has an anodic index -.9 <S> Brass has an anodic index of about -.4 <S> A difference of .25 is acceptable, in harsh environments (heat, salt water) <S> the max is .15. <S> http://www.fastenal.com/content/feds/pdf/Article%20-%20Corrosion.pdf <S> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion <A> Are there any plastic (PVC) fittings you could use for this application? <S> I would choose a plastic fitting if possible. <A> I want to post the answer I discovered after trial and error. <S> I installed an aluminum thermowell in the brass faucet fitting. <S> I wrapped the aluminum in PFTE tape but since the threads are sharp they cut through the tape. <S> After leaving the unit for only a few days, I observed fairly heavy corrosion and pitting of the aluminum fitting. <S> This occurred during testing of the pipes, so it was not pressurized most of the time and only had residual water from testing operations. <S> I can very definitely say "aluminum and brass don't mix" <S> when there's potable water involved. <S> Replaced with a brass thermowell from Amazon and all's "well" haha. <S> Hopefully this is helpful to someone.
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Aluminum and brass with an electrolyte between them (water) can still result in galvanic corrosion.
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How To Fix Severed Sprinkler Solenoid Wire? I re-opened my sprinkler system this season to discover that one of the zones would not go off on it's own. After visually inspecting the valves, I see that the issue is that one of the two wires that connects to the problem zone's solenoid has been severed. Not sure what happened - maybe an animal chewed through it or weather destroyed it, but it is severed right near the solenoid connection, making standard splicing and fixing impossible from what I can tell. How do I fix this? Do I need to solder the wire back on? That was the only thing I could think of, but wanted another opinion before taking any irreversible action. <Q> The solenoid coil assembly of many sprinkler valves is replaceable. <S> This allows repair to occur without having to remove/replace the plumbing part of the valve assembly. <S> You could try repairing the broken wire if there is a short stub of the metallic conductor still sticking out of the molded casing of the solenoid coil. <S> This would require careful cleaning and preparation of the stub and the wire end and include the use of a good electrical soldering flux to enable the solder to stick to the wires which may very well be rather corroded at the present time. <S> If you do solder it will be required that you securely anchor the rest of the wire pigtail to the coil body to make sure there is no stress on the solder joint. <S> This could be one or two zip ties around the coil to hold the wire against the body. <S> After soldering clean up the area around the joint with flux remover and degunk the coil body too. <S> Then apply some non-conductive epoxy over the joint and over on to the coil body to seal up the joint to the weather. <S> Do not use common silicon sealer to cover the wire joint because it has a weak acid in it that can cause the wire and solder joint to become corroded under the sealer. <S> (I warn of the sealer type that has a vague vinegar odor before the stuff has set up). <A> From the small part of the valve that is visible, it looks like an Irritrol 2400 (the same as my system). <S> I had a similar problem a few weeks ago, and was able to replace just the solenoid for less than $15 from a local sprinkler supply store. <S> Here it is even cheaper from Amazon , if you can afford to wait. <S> No special tools were required for the installation, the solenoid just unscrewed from the top of the valve. <A> Sir, replace the whole solenoid. <S> they twist right off. <S> Be sure to turn the main water value off. <S> Once the solenoid is off go to Home depot with it and tell customer rep there <S> you need a replacement solenoid. <S> It will be in the irrigation department isle 26 where I live. <S> LOL.
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If you have a similar type spare valve unit you could also consider swapping the solenoid coil off of it to replace the one with the damaged wire.
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What to use to seal grout in shower I have just re-newed grout (in my less than one year old shower installed by builders) that on close examination had slight cracks but never the less water got through and soaked my bedroom carpet behind my wardrobe over a 4 month period. I used Mapei grout which was recommended. How long should I wait before using the shower and is there something else I should apply to make sure this does not happen again.Any advice would be appreciated. <Q> On the bag there should be a defined time such as 6-8 hours dry time. <S> I would advise getting some grout sealer to apply to the grout after 72 hours. <S> Just curious what type of grout did you use sanded or unsanded? <S> Was it pre-mixed or mix with water? <A> There are plenty of options. <S> I used grout and tile sealer when I redid my tile shower in November (re-grouted exactly like you did), and can tell you it seems to work. <S> Basically just spray it on and wait for it to dry. <A> Sealing grout is not waterproofing. <S> The wall behind the shower should have a waterproof membrane or barrier. <S> It either does not or has failed. <S> Sealing the grout may buy you a LITTLE time but water will get through the grout again. <S> you may already have significant damage, rot, mold in the wall cavity and any structure below the wall.
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If possible wait 24 hours before allowing water to hit the grout.
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Connecting multiple hubs to a single Z-Wave device First off, please forgive me if this is not the right Stack Exchange site for this. I figured this was the best option. Is it possible to hook up multiple hubs/controllers to a single Z-Wave device? For example, if I have a GE Simon XT alarm system control panel that is Z-Wave compatible and paired with a Z-Wave light switch, could I also hook up a Wink Hub to that same light switch and control it from either one? Or better yet, could I tap into an existing motion sensor from my security system with a Wink Hub? <Q> As per Z-Wave specification, no. <S> Secondary' controllers added to the primary controller will lose their z-wave netword/added nodes and just act as a relay remote control. <S> I don't believe adding the Wink Hub as a secondary controller is the option you're looking for since you will lose any nodes added to it <S> and you will have to re-add them to your primary controller (your GE Simon XT for instance). <S> However, some controllers, such as Vera and VeraLite, allow you to bridge two or more controllers via ethernet/wi-fi and to pass-through Z-Wave requests to devices present on either controller. <S> The controllers remain independent of each other from a Z-Wave point of view, an communicate to each other via your ethernet/wi-fi network. <S> I have not come across this funcionality in GE Simon XT and Wink hubs. <S> With the Vera Z-wave controllers, as an example of increasing range and reliability, you can: <S> Install one Vera on your ground-floor. <S> Pair ground-floor nodes to this Vera. <S> Install another Vera on on your first-floor. <S> Pair second-floor nodes to this Vera. <S> Designate one Vera as your 'main' Vera (that is, the one you'd use to control via the web, iOS app, Z-Wave remotes, etc - your go-to controller basically). <S> Under this Vera's config, select Add Devices and choose UPNP devices. <S> The 'main' Vera will then locate the 'other' Vera on your LAN and show the nodes on the 'main' Vera's device panel. <S> You can then control the 'other' nodes via your 'main' Vera. <S> The 'main' Vera will send the required commands via LAN to the 'other' Vera to be sent via Z-Wave to it's associated nodes. <A> I'm still new to z-wave / home improvement but looks like some people are saying it should be possible using geekier controller called OpenHAB . <S> See another thread . <A> This can be done using home assistant hub and wink hub. <S> All device will be reachable throughout home assistant interface. <S> Regards
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You can have either or all Zwave device connected to home assistant or some connected to wink hub. A Z-Wave node (device) can only be paired to one hub (the designated 'primary' controller). '
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Covering hot outlet and waterline Can I cover up a wall outlet and water line to an old icemaker with a drawer base cabinet? Or do I need to cut out the back of the cabinet to allow access? <Q> <A> There is no safety reason to do so. <S> So, if you do not need the outlet feel free to block it. <S> Code typically requires outlets every so-and-so many feet along a wall, but this is a convenience requirement, not a safety requirement. <S> A future owner of the home may have different ideas, but by that time your cabinet will be long gone. <A> Please make sure you can still get to the outlet. <S> OPTION 1 : <S> If the cabinet can be moved than it's fine. <S> Electricians know to move things and look for plugs when problems occur. <S> Therefore its accessible. <S> OPTION 2: <S> If its a permanent cabinet, Cut out the back of the drawer. <S> In Canada that is a code requirement and generally in America , your code out does our code, so you can bet that you need it accessible in America. <S> Basically when figuring things out if there are two wires that you have no clue where they go, it can be hard. <S> That being said its not a safety issue. <S> So don't loose sleep. <S> OPTION 3: <S> Is this the last plug on the circuit (no splices to other boxes occur in this box <S> you want to hide?) <S> If it is the last circuit and super annoying to keep the box assessable than I might go to where that outlet box is fed from (maybe another box), open it up, disconnect the wires to the plug I wanna cover (and put wire nuts on them) and write on electrical tape in that box where the wire goes. <S> (Feeds to behind the such and such cabinet). <S> Thats what I would do!
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If you find it more convenient to have the cabinet there and do not care about the outlet, then there is no legal requirement that you leave it exposed. You should cut out the back of the cabinet. Its more to do with the fact that things go wrong with circuits randomly, or circuits get moved and changed and if an electrician can't find a box it can be a real problem.
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why did my mower suddenly start running slower? This mower has an odd history, but appeared to be in good shape. It was given to me by a friend, who picked it up from the curb in his neighborhood (it's a nice neighborhood). I don't know if he found out why it was being tossed out. He just picked it up as a repair project to do with his son, and then found out I was looking for one, and offered it to me. It's a Briggs & Stratton 6.5 Hp engine. Looks to be only a few years old and in good condition. Friend put in a new air filter, spark plug, and I think also changed the oil. I checked the oil and it looks cleaner and new-ish. I've used it several times this year. It's been running great, starts right on the first pull. Suddenly at the end of my last session, the rpms dropped but it kept running. When I turned it off I could smell gas a bit. Next time it started fine, but is still running slow. I managed to finish the yard with it running slow. I've check the air filter and spark plug. Both look clean. There was a little oil or gas residue at the bottom of the air filter. There was a little oil on the threads of the spark plug screw, but the sparky end was clean. I'm just trying to see if there's anything else I can do or check before getting into the carburetor. Any ideas? <Q> From your description, it sounds like you may have a problem with the governor spring that tensions the governor vane to the throttle body. <S> These can get stretched out and lose tension creating a slow idle. <A> Check the brake / coil cut off safety mechanism. <S> Since the latter cuts off spark it might have the effects you mention. <S> Nest material not being a particularly good conductor <S> it's rarely the full-shutoff, but <S> weak spark, yes. <S> Could also be a bad spark plug wire (cracked insulation) leading to weak spark. <A> My mower did that, then finally quit. <S> Come to find out it was my camshaft. <S> The exhaust lobe was worn-out. <S> Wasn't letting my exhaust value open. <S> Or, check the rocker arms. <S> Valves might need adjusting. <A> and then...my mower would start and run fine tell you started mowing,then would bog down and die,even in short grass. <S> Cleaned air filter,checked and cleaned calibrator, still to no avail.turned mower over to make sure no obstruction, cleaned out well..now runs great <A> On my mower (Craftsman 247.37037 with Briggs & Stratton engine), it was a matter of replacing the choke thermostat -- it wasn't sensitive enough any more to fully push the air vane forward. <S> It requires removing the blower housing and cover and the muffler, but takes less than 20 minutes and cost me about $15. <S> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3XP5mz59mA <A> If the carb has been worked on the carb levers need to be in the correct position, especially with the governor lever.
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In my experience, unless the engine is running roughly idle problems are usually related to the throttle and governor. I've had some strange-running issues that seemed to be related to the safety-brake mechanism dragging, and/or squirrel/mouse electricians partially-connecting the shutdown wire to ground with their nesting material. One other thing that I would hope every one would think of but not dumbie me is to make sure the blade well of your mower is cleaned out now
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What type of concrete foundation do you pour for sand? I have a piece of beach front land that is sand (sometimes wet), what kind of foundation do you pour for a home constructed on sand? What kind of considerations do you take in if its water front and could get wet? I cannot find any info on this at all, anywhere... so if anyone has an example codes page I'd also love to look at it so I can know what to ask for here. Cheers <Q> You don't construct houses on sand. <S> Sand can't be compacted and, as such, will never be a solid piece of earth to place a foundation on top of. <S> Houses that are built on beaches are typically built upon concrete piers which go down to solid earth under the sand. <S> Ideally bedrock. <S> As for what kind of foundation you need (or are even allowed to have) it will depend mostly on building codes in your area. <A> I don't live on the beach, but we do live in a desert where the soil is essentially sand. <A> There are multiple options for building on sand, but much of the answer depends on many other factors. <S> Compact sand (to say sand cannot be compacted is erroneous, it just doesn't require much) can be a very stable base. <S> We have built many homes, cottages and garages on land that is sand for 10s of metres deep. <S> Screw piles are one solution that works, but all that does is point load your home onto the piles, so you need a lot of them. <S> We have had no problems with thickened-edge slabs, frost walls on reinforced footings and even full basement foundations further from the lake. <S> Just talk to a local engineer to get your footings and or piles appropriately sized.
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I remember when we were having our house built, like everyone else has alluded to, we had to have the foundation dug very deep to where the soil was actually compacted and poured the foundation from there. The best place to find out about the mixture for your area would be the local government department of housing development as things like that vary a lot from city to city.
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Does a bad screw require changing the tap itself? The guardian doesn't quite show the internals of a traditional tap, and the plumber I usually call, couldn't come today. The new plumber says that since the drive of the screw on the tap is ruined, I'd require to buy a new tap (pic below). I didn't believe him, and would like to confirm if the entire tap really needs to be replaced or just some washers or spindle inside ? Basically, if I turn the tap in any direction, water keeps flowing. The only way to stop it is to press it hard from above and wrap insulation tape around the tap while keeping it pressed. ps: Dad says he suspects the tap is a washerless type which might have to be replaced completely. The tap: <Q> The reason why the plumber says this is that the cost to replace just the screw (for him) would be greater than the cost to replace the whole handle and valve assembly. <S> This is because he can replace the whole handle assembly in 10 minutes, but it would probably take him at least 30-45 minutes minimum to find and install a perfect replacement screw. <S> If you value your time less, feel free to look for a replacement screw. <S> Note that the screw will have to be a certain length and thread pitch and diameter etc. <S> The screw is for the handle and is not part of the valve. <S> Getting that screw out, by the way, will be annoying. <S> The way to do it (not involving high temperature processes) is to use a sleeve bushing around the screw, a drill bushing inside the sleeve, then drill a hole for a screw extractor. <A> That screw is most likely a standard machine screw. <S> If you can remove it, then bring it to the local hardware store to see if you can find a replacement. <S> Make sure that the replacement is brass. <S> Most other screws will end up corroding and aren't suitable for plumbing. <S> To remove the screw, you may need to use a screw extractor. <S> Before you try that, see if you can remove it with a pair of locking pliers. <S> Standard pliers definitely won't work, but locking pliers may be able to grip the screw head hard enough to unscrew it. <A> The only way to stop it is to press it hard from above Sounds like the inner stem threads are worn out. <S> Given the apparent age of the fixture in the photo it seems likely. <S> You might be able to remove the inner parts and get new ones. <S> Given the value of single taps it is simply not worth your time and gas to do that kind of repair. <S> Definitely get a plumber to do it - changing a tap is not at all difficult. <S> Removing a tap that has been on the pipe for several decades requires large tools, lubricants, and experience. <S> Replacing the pipe because it's rusted from the inside and is only 1mm thick takes a few more tools, all of which will be in the plumber's van.
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If the internals of the valve are cleaned up, resurfaced and washers replaced, the valve should operate correctly.
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What kind of chlorine solution do I use in water treatment system? We recently bought a house in which the previous owner had installed a Culligan softener system with not only brine and resin tanks but also a chlorine tank with a pump. There isn't a Culligan representative remaining within a 50 mile radius of the house, the ones outside of that range aren't willing to come without a huge fee (understandable) or at all. The salt part is easy. What I don't know is what kind of chlorine solution or pellets or powder or [???] should I be adding to the chlorine tank? Google is usually my friend, but not on this issue. I don't want to just dump a bottle of Clorox in there, since I don't know (a) if sodium hypochlorite is the correct chemical for use in water treatment without poisoning us all to death, and (b) what other odd chemicals are in Clorox that will poison us all to death. Our water is sourced from a well that is by itself fails on lead (0.023 mg/l) and is heavily laced with iron (20.4 mg/l). What can almost not be made out in the pictures below is a 10" carbon pre-filter (you can see the bottom sticking out from under the controller on the resin tank). The pre-filter does a pretty good job of removing the iron, though we have to replace it every 2 to 3 months. There are two tanks that are obviously labeled Culligan; the third is of a slightly different color; no brand name on the tank itself, but written in blue ink are the words "gallon chlorine" (possibly a faded numeral before). On the top of the tank marked "chlorine" is a pump: <Q> This looks very similar to a pool chlorine feeder - these could use cal hypo or sodium hypo, either way you would need to know the concentration to mix and the dosing for your qty of water to treat. <S> Not sure we'll be able to answer those questions directly. <S> Cal hypo is granular (and cheapest) and has the most shelf life, but you'd probably want to source food grade supply for long-term use. <S> Concentration of chlorine would be determined by the qty of water to be treated at one time, level of final level of chlorine needed for decontamination, how the chlorine solution is dispensed (continuous or on demand) and how much chlorine is dispensed at any given cycle. <S> Chlorine would only be used to correct organism growth not other chemical/mineral constituents of concern. <S> Due to the health risks, I 'm not sure how much I'd trust free advice at this point. <S> Spend the money and be sure this is set up properly. <S> Your health is worth it. <A> This actually is a chlorine tank. <S> I have one <S> , I personally buy the pool chlorine at a pool supply store to put in mine, but you can just use regular chlorine bleach. <S> It's slightly cheaper to do from the pool store. <S> I was actually searching to see if anyone just tossed tablets in their tank instead of feeding it. <S> Usually you should put about 1/4 amount of chlorine to water, there should be a spigot on your holding tank where you can test and ideal amount should be in the same range as your pool. <S> After it goes through the filters though, there should be zero. <S> However in looking at your setup, it seems like yours goes directly through the filter and then into the tank <S> so I don't know how exactly you'd test percentage on yours? <A> This looks like my former house. <S> If it is,I paid Culligan to install it. <S> I used 50% liquid chlorine from pinch a penny pool company and 50% of water. <S> The inside spigot, I used a water hose on for the salt water kidney shaped pool. <S> I converted the pool to salt water. <S> It was chlorine. <S> The outside fiberglass tank, you have to open the valve and flush the backwash water out.
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Sodium hypo - bleach - would be the cleanest option, but also will become ineffective the quickest.
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Can I wire 2 ceiling fans, 5 ceiling spot lights, and 3 closet lights on a singe 15 amp circuit? Can I wire 2 ceiling fans and 5 ceiling spot lights and 3 closet ligthts on a singe circuit with 12 ga wire and a 15 amp breaker?Or should I wire the 2 ceiling fans on a separate circuit? <Q> There should be no problem putting it all on a single 15 ampere circuit. <S> Likely in the worst case scenario, each fixture would consume ~100 watts. <S> That would be using large 52" fans, and 100 watt bulbs in each fixture. <S> With the 10 fixtures, that would be 1000 watts (10 * 100 = 1000). <S> A 15 ampere 120 volt circuit can provide 1800 watts of power (15A <S> * 120V). <S> More realistically, you're going to be using lower wattage fixtures, especially nowadays with CFL and LED bulbs becoming more common. <S> Here's some calculations based on various wattage devices. <S> 10 devices @ <S> 75 watts each = 750 watts. <S> 10 devices @ <S> 60 watts each = <S> 600 watts. <S> 2 fans @ <S> 100 watts, and 8 lights @ <S> 60 watts = 680 watts. <S> 2 fans @ <S> 75 watts with 3 60 watt blub light kits, and 8 lights @ <S> 100 watts = 1310 watts. <S> 2 fans @ <S> 100 watts with 3 100 watt bulb light kits, and 8 lights @ 100 watts = <S> 1600 watts. <S> Since it's a 15 ampere circuit, you'll only need 14 AWG conductors. <S> Unless there's a specific reason you're using 12 AWG instead, which is also fine. <A> You are FINE with this. <S> What you are proposing is a good way less than a 20A circuit could handle in this type of setting. <S> Personally I'd go with #14 on a 15A breaker for loads like this. <A> So you pass the first rule with only having 10 items. <S> Also number 12GA for a 15 amp breaker works as well. <S> If your ceiling fans are not some crazy ones. <S> I have never checked how many amps they draw cause its never very much, and i have never heard of it being a problem. <S> Each 60W light is .5Amps <S> so you have quite a bit of room if your bulbs are that wattage or less! <S> Remember you can load your 15A breaker up to 12 amps before you run into code problems.
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It's fine on one circuit. Maximum number of devices on a breaker is 12.
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How to fill / seal in-slab hvac ductwork? My house is built on a slab. Within the slab are "channels" which act as ducts for the HVAC system. I assume it is partially lined with metal but based on photos from an HVAC-cleaner, it's hard to tell how far that metal goes from the registers. Long term, I plan on re-routing all of my HVAC outside of this slab ductwork as it is extremely dirty, probably contaminated with all kinds of mold and insects, and essentially a big mess. This house was built over 60 years ago. In the mean-time, I am about to re-do a single room's floor. It is currently concrete (carpet had been ripped up) but is going to be replaced by porcelain tile. This specific room is really close to the furnace (with a direct wall-vent a previous owner "cut in") so I am not concerned about its temperature. I want to fill in, or otherwise seal off, the slab-duct and register in this room so I can tile over it. Long term, I want to do quit using all of my in-slab ducts. Can I simply seal off the duct at this register? Or do I need to fill the entire duct in the slab in this room? What material (concrete/cement? specific type?) should I use in either case? Thanks! <Q> Shouldn't cost you more then $20, if that. <A> I see this is an older Question. <S> But yes, you want to fill that room's entire duct for structural stability with gravel or even expanding foam. <S> If you'd prefer to just keep the in-slab ducts, if cleanliness was addressed long term. <S> Then, these can be scrubbed out (not just vacuumed) & paint sealed with a few layers of sprayed-on paint via a hose. <S> I don't know of anyone who could do it personally, but it really should be quite quick & simple with wonderful results. <A> If you're concerned about debris in the ducts, just have someone clean them out. <S> There are services that specialize in that. <A> when you pour concrete into slab duct you will have expansion from new cement. <S> I would think you need to insert some expansion material to prevent cracking the floor slab. <S> Foam may do the same thing. <S> My slab from 1952 had dust, neighbor has leaches. <S> Old metal pipes rust out that they used for slab ducts. <S> local companies refuse to work on them.
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I would remove the register and pour ready-mix concrete into the channel to seal the old "ducts" and fill up the hole in the floor. While it's been perfectly fine for this long, the heat removal could allow freezing now or later & invite cracking or collapse of that minimal section. Not sure why Community popped this up as active since it has old answers, but I think you wasted a lot of time and money unless there was some issue with the HVAC system performance you weren't disclosing.
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Can I pump down the refrigerant from an air conditioner myself? We are planning on having a new concrete patio poured in a couple of weeks and need to move our AC unit to make way for the slab. Is it possible for a layman to pump down the refrigerant and move the unit or do I need to pay someone to do this for me? <Q> Unless you are an abnormally equipped layman, no. <S> Even then, there may be a legal requirement (depending where you are) for this to be done by a licensed A/C service person, as regulations around refrigerants have become much more stringent over the years, trying to limit uncontrolled releases to atmosphere. <A> The hard part actually isn't pumping down the vacuum on the AC, the hard part is recovering the refrigerant. <S> Auto parts stores will loan you a vaccum pump that will work on a house AC, but this won't allow you to recover the refrigerant. <S> Recovering the refrigerant requires specialized equipment that's quite expensive. <S> Discharging the refrigerant to the atmosphere is definitely illegal. <A> Seriously to move your AC unit, you don't need any fancy equipment to pump down your refrigerant. <S> Putting back in service is a different matter though.
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You simply need a set of gauges and the know how to trap the refrigerant (pump down) within the AC unit by closing the low and high side at the right time and shutting of power to the unit.
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Driveway crack repair work failed over the winter, how can I make it last? I live in the Northeast, and we have lots of hard winters. My driveway had many cracks with most under ¼ inch in width, but a few larger. So last summer, I cleaned those cracks with jets of water, let them dry and filled them in with patch fillers. Some I got from Home Depot (Latex-ite 1 Gal. 2X Premium Blacktop Crack Filler). I also got a little bucket of trowel patch filler from Walmart for the bigger cracks. Anyway, I applied all these per their instructions early last summer. A couple weeks after that I then sealed my driveway with a product from Home Depot: (4.75-Gal. Ultra Shield Driveway Filler Sealer), again per the product's instructions, and with two coats. A harsh northeast winter later, I have been dismayed to see most of my cracks are back to their state where they were before I patched anything. A few repairs that were done in the shade seemed to fair better. Yea we had 75” of snow or so that I only used a shovel to clean up with, no salt etc. Anyway, do you have any recommendations for how I can do this right? Update, here are some pictures: <Q> Option A: keep doing what you did , and expect it to fail everywinter; be pleasantly surprised if it does not some years. <S> Option B: tear up the driveway and put a proper base under it. <S> Thelack of a proper base is almost certainly why it self-destructs inwinter. <S> If you can stand the annual work, Option A can be done for MANY years before you begin to touch the price of Option B. "A proper base" will depend in part on the underlying soil (a good deal of which may need to be removed and replaced with compacted rock and gravel) but is generally a firm, well drained foundation. <S> If you're really independent-minded there is also Option C: <S> tear up the surface and change to gravel/rocks rather than a hard-surface driveway - takes some annual raking, but immune to cracks for the most part. <S> Edit, Add: <S> If you have porous soils (sandy, gravelly) this will help a lot, if you have clay it will be of more limited benefit. <A> If your driveway is anything like mine, you can't. <S> The cracking is caused by expansion/contraction, which is especially bad in winters where we get a ton of snow. <S> Water can get into the existing cracks, find it's way down below the surface, <S> and then it freezes, which causes more cracks. <S> It can also depend on the grading around your driveway. <S> I live up in the NE too, and I've been sealing my driveway every year for the 4 years I've been in this house. <S> It always looks just as bad after another year. <S> But , it doesn't look much worse, which is probably about all you can ask for. <S> I've resigned myself to having it done professionally at some point in the near future... <S> for now, just keep on sealing it every year to try to save it for as long as you can. <A> Think outside the Box ..... <S> instead of fighting those cracks every year, why not do what some of us Landscapers do .... <S> that is to say a driveway is a pathway on your property, it's job <S> is to move people/vehicles/bikes/lawn mowers <S> etc.across <S> it, there is nothing stated that says "All driveways must be solid" in any Design book that I have seen/read <S> and I've been a Landscape Designer for 30yrs. <S> So go with the flow of those cold NE winters and widen the cracks(2"-4") in your driveway, replace the gravel with a sandy loam soil and plant with a short compact tuff groundcover .... <S> Irish moss comes to mind, you can walk on it, drive on it, roll a dolly loaded with boxes on it (UPS guy) ... will it take 75" of snow? ... <S> I'm thinkin not .... <S> of course the look is an informal look, a pathway thru the forest feel and if this isn't your style of landscape or looks completely out of place in the neighborhood then it probably isn't a way to solve your situation but it is always fun and good to think outside the box for answers . <S> .... enjoy and good luck with your driveway <A> The products you used last year are good for filling in pieces of broken pavement, but won't completely fix stubborn cracks. <S> The reason why they are forming is that the earth below your driveway is moving, due the expansion and contraction caused by the change in weather. <S> There is little you can do from preventing the movement, short of total replacement which would cost several thousands of dollars. <S> Instead of fighting against mother nature and physics, the best thing you can do is fill the cracks with a flexible blacktop crack repairing caulk. <S> The caulk will expand and contract with the change of temperature, and is much less likely to fail. <A> I'm in Minnesota (90*F+ in summer, -30*F in winter), and my driveway looks identical to yours. <S> The problem isn't so much poor substrate, but extremes of temperature. <S> Older asphalt simply doesn't flex enough to handle the seasonal expansion and contraction we see here. <S> Even the city streets with ideal substrate have the same problem. <S> The fix is a more robust, highly flexible crack filler. <S> You don't want a liquid that's also a sealer--you want a caulk <S> that's thick and gooey. <S> You can then seal over that if you like.
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Depending both on the existing grade and soil type, you might get some benefit from digging a French drain (drain pipe under rocks) down both sides of the driveway to help keep water from going under it sideways, and help remove any water that does get into it, at less cost than the full dig up and replace the whole surface. The cracks you are seeing are fairly typical, especially for the climate you are in.
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Debris from Roof causing Gutters to clog I just recently replaced the gutters on the entire property and also installed a mesh over them to keep debris out of the gutters. However, I noticed that it was still overflowing during a recent thunderstorm. Upon closer inspection, it appears that some tree debris from the roof is running through the roof troughs and collecting in the gutter corners (mitres) thereby impeding the flow of water. Is there an effective way to prevent this run-in from the roof on to the gutter, stopping short of just cutting off the trees on the property? I have included pictures with the problem areas highlighted. Again, these gutters are less than 3 weeks old and are 6 inches wide. <Q> It is generally advisable to not have tree branches making contact with your house, so regardless you might want to consider trimming the branches back. <S> Removing the tree entirely is probably overkill but is an option. <S> Make sure to check with your local jurisdiction to see if a permit is required. <S> Alternatively, you're just going to need to clean them out regularly, especially in the spring and fall. <S> Even with gutter guards, debris will still find its way into the gutters, albeit it at a slower rate. <A> Adding one of those solid gutter guards may be the solution. <S> Those have a smoother surface that may allow for the debris to run off unlike the ones with the screen. <S> Of course the best course of action is not to remediate the problem, but to fix it with removing the tree, / branch. <A> It depends on if you have trees and what kinds. <S> I have many trees and triedat least 3 kinds of screens : None worked. <S> Cleaning out the gutters twice a year was not enough for me:how often do you clean yours ? <S> I have also had both aluminum and plastic gutters. <S> I finally just pulled them off. <S> But I am located in the "piney woods" or temperate rain-forest. <S> ( I have had at least a dozen large trees removed - not enough help.)
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You could have something custom built that directs / diverts debris off the downspout while allowing for the water to still flow in that pipe.
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At what height should CO detectors be installed? I've got a Carbon Monoxide (CO) detector ( BRK CO250B , instruction sheet PDF ) that I am looking to install in our house. All of the bedrooms are on the top level of our quad-level house, and I'm planning on installing it in the hallway. The directions say that it can be either ceiling or wall mounted. I've looked around online, and I've seen various recommendations for what the ideal height is for the detector. Some say ceiling mounted is best, because CO is lighter than air. (Combination smoke/CO detectors all get mounted here.) Some say that a few feet below ceiling height is best, because a pocket of warm air may prevent the CO from getting all the way up to the level of the detector. Some say that "bed height," or 2-3 feet off the floor is best, because that is where you are when you are sleeping. What is the best height for CO detectors? Are there current recommended heights or best practices to use when installing these things? <Q> Carbon monoxide detectors should be installed according to the instructions that accompanied the unit. <S> From Nest Protect's website <S> : <S> There’s a myth that all carbon monoxide alarms should be installed lower on the wall because carbon monoxide is heavier than air. <S> In fact, carbon monoxide is slightly lighter than air and diffuses evenly throughout the room. <S> According to the carbon monoxide guidelines of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 720, 2005 edition), all carbon monoxide alarms “shall be centrally located outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms,” and each alarm “shall be located on the wall, ceiling or other location as specified in the installation instructions that accompany the unit.” <S> It’s usually because they need to be plugged into an outlet near the floor or have a digital readout that can be easily read. <A> If bedrooms are located on separate floors, a carbon monoxide alarm shall be installed on each floor.” <S> (See ICC 908.7.1) <S> In addition, it says, “it shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.” <S> (See <S> 908.7.1.1) <S> Maybe that’s why there is no consensus for mounting height. <S> Combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms shall conform to both smoke detector location requirements and carbon monoxide alarm detector locations. <S> (See 908.8) <A> I've been working as a service tech.for the last 20 yrs & in my opinion I would install it right under your thermostat, assuming that IT'S installed at the correct height which would be about 5 & a half ft.from the floor or about eye or face level, reason being is that carbon monoxide enters your blood stream by way of the air you breathe. <S> If it's a plug in type (which is what I prefer) <S> I would use the length of the cord as a guide line & avoid corners cause it's true that air in corners does get stagnant there due to friction. <S> Keep in mind though, air is always moving because of 1 reason or another <S> & it's not rocket science,it doesn't have to be perfect, close is good enough. <A> It is generally agreed that carbon mono-oxide (CO) diffused into the surrounding air well from some emission source(s) <S> such as fuel-burning appliances. <S> Everyone knows that CO is an invisible, odorless and tasteless gas. <S> Among the symptoms of CO poisoning are headache and drowsiness and others, but in the extreme exposure could lead to heart and lung failure, brain damage and/or death (and might not necessarily be in this order.) <S> As I read a lengthy 'FIRST ALERT User's Manual' for the CO detector Model CO1210 which conforms to UL 2034 Standard, I want to highlight a few basic warnings and cautions: This model "is intended for use in ordinary indoor locations of family living units." <S> Its battery's service life may last up to 10 years. <S> Since I live in an apartment, the warning posted on this CO Alarm/detector is appropriate for me: <S> "This CO Alarm is designed for use inside a single-family home or apartment. <S> It is not meant to be used in common lobbies, hallways, or basements of multi-family buildings unless . . . . <S> " <S> There seem to be no mention of a recommended height (from the floor) for installing this CO detector Model CO1210, but let it be placed at least 20 feet (or 6 meters) away from an existing fuel-burning source or a furnace. <S> However, there is a caution for mounting on table top or event for a wall, keep it at a height of 3 feet or less from the floor so as to minimize damage to the unit if it was knocked down accidentally.
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Standalone carbon monoxide alarms are often placed low on the wall, but it’s not because they’re more effective at that height. The Code says, “Carbon monoxide alarms shall be installed in each bedroom or within 15 feet outside each bedroom door.
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Deck posts - set in concrete or use anchors? I'm planning to build an elevated deck. I was going to dig the holes for the posts, put them in and set them in quikrete. I've done this for a fence and I'm comfortable with the process.A deck builder who gave me an estimate stated that's what he would do if he gets the job. However, looking at my existing deck, it occurred to me that it might be better to use anchors so that if I ever have to replace the post I can do so easily?I currently have a post that is bent and seriously cracked that is using an post base, so I can see how convenient it would be if I was to replace it. (I'm replacing the whole deck instead because it's in very bad shape) Here are some pics, I'm pretty sure the cracking and bending are due to how the load is falling on the deck, but I also noticed that the post base is not set on a cement footing?? I wonder what is the better solution? What's the chance of having to replace a post? <Q> I like the beefy ones like the EPB66HDG, but Simpson makes a lot of different ones. <S> Here's a trick for getting them right. <S> Dig the footing holes, and then temporarily attach the connectors to the beam. <S> Put the beam on the ground directly under where it is going to be, level it in both directions and anchor it (stakes or whatever) <S> so it can't move. <S> Then, pour the concrete around it. <S> This gives you post connectors exactly where they need to be. <S> After the concrete sets, just remove the beam, put the posts in, and put the beam on top of them. <S> Simple. <S> If the posts are all the same height you can put short pieces of post between the deck and the beam. <S> I like hefty footings for 2nd floor decks; I would go at least 1x1x1 <S> (depth set based on your frost line); I have a 2nd floor deck with a roof over it that has 5 footings that are each 2'x2'x'1. <S> You can put a bit of rebar at the bottom to help hold the footing base together. <A> I build decks for a living. <S> Setting your post in concrete as you would a fence post will work just fine, as long as you use Sono tubes or The Post Collar. <S> You want no earth to wood contact! <S> Or use pier blocks. <S> In the pic you have a ledger securing the deck to the house. <S> You can use 6" pier blocks. <S> Place a shovel full of concrete <S> , even fence post mix under your pier block, press down and turn the block so the concrete flattens out and comes out the sides around the block. <S> Mound it evenly around the block and you just secured that block in place. <S> Just be certain no wood to earth contact! <A> I've been in the construction industry for over thirty years. <S> I live in the northeastern US . <S> The only time you put posts in concrete is for a fence . <S> Posts for decks an other above ground structures are anchored above ground to the footings and foundations.
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I really prefer post bases for decks over putting the posts in concrete; it's a much better way of going.
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How can I prevent my refrigerator door from hitting the wall? I have a stainless steel counter-depth refrigerator door (LG LFXC24726S). The right wall sticks out a bit further than the frame, and if the right door swings too far, it hits the wall and will eventually chip itself, and/or scratch the door - two outcomes I want to avoid. Per the photos, I have placed three small clear rubber bumps between the door and the wall, but they look ugly they keep shifting, so I'd have to glue them in place I need to find a solution that is not visually intrusive, but creates a good barrier. One solution I considered was somehow adjusting the door's swing radius to prevent it from reaching the wall, but I don't believe that can be done with this model (perhaps I am wrong). Alternately, I need some form of bumper, but I don't quite know what to search on/for. I'd prefer something clear that won't scratch the door. I suspect some sort of 4-5 inch long clear rubber corner wrap would work, but I wouldn't even know what to call it to identify it, let alone know where to obtain one ( ostensibly, "the internet" once I know what to search for ). Ultimately, aside from the non-starter suggestion of removing this piece of wall, how should I prevent the door from hitting the corner? Bumpers Detail. Click for full size image Open Door Detail. Click for full size image <Q> Whirlpool French door started hitting the new Silestone countertop a few months after the remodel. <S> Dont think the part failed—probably it is due to our 100 year old house tilting. <S> I have just installed high gauss magnets in the upper door hinge and they work perfectly. <A> If this is an available option on your unit you may want to consider swapping the hinge side so that the door swings open the opposite way. <S> It is hard to tell from your picture if the unit you have offers this option. <S> If yours is a refrigerator that has split opposing doors down the front then this may not be an option for you. <A> If not, you may be able to find a lexan or polycarbonate outside corner moulding on the internet. <S> Were this my house, I would try to find a 1/2" or 1" moulding that was either clear or a color matching the wall and affix it using epoxy on the inside of the moulding. <A> Below is a picture of the left door of my LG french door fridge. <S> The right door looks the same. <S> That clear soft plastic thingie, screwed into the base of the cabinet above the fridge, is one of four stoppers that came in a package that I bought at Home Depot. <S> It uses the the grey plastic door hinge, itself, to stop the door from going to far. <S> I installed them above both doors as my fridge sits on a 45 degree angle in the corner of my kitchen, between two granite counter tops. <S> Without the stoppers, the fridge would develop dents whenever the doors hit the granite. <S> Works like a charm and, equally good, you can't see them unless you know they're there and know where to look. <A> Pull the fridge forward a little so the door misses the wall. <S> One or two inches should do it. <S> A little testing will tell you how far you need to pull it out. <S> Also, move it to the left a little if you have room. <S> While many new refrigerators only need a little clear space at the top (1/2" or 1") to vent exhaust air - some need an inch or so on the sides as well. <S> It will perform better when given the proper ventilation space. <A> Cut out wall as shown and replaster: <A> After testing it, I decided that an entire strip of corner molding (or even a section of it) simply looked lousy for this kitchen. <S> After repainting the walls, I found the spot where the door came closest to hitting the edge of the wall. <S> I removed the weak adhesive from a clear, circular vinyl bumper (Everclear brand), and using clear silicone, I glued it into place. <S> The appearance is non-intrusive and it has worked great for months. <S> If it comes off, I have more clear silicone and backup bumpers. <S> Click below for close-ups.
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Most refrigerators have options to swap the side that the refrigerator door is hinged from. The terms / phrase you want to use with your local home improvement store are "outside corner moulding". I've seen a very broad selection of this at Lowes and Home Depot in my area, so there's bound to be something there that you'd find acceptable. Clear silicone should do the trick for the clear moulding, any color for a moulding color matching the wall.
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Oven suddenly tripping circuit breaker...bad oven or bad breaker? We have a double Thermador oven in our house. We've owned the house for around two years, and the oven has worked fine up until the last few weeks. Now, using either of the ovens trips the circuit breaker after around 5 minutes. The circuit breaker is a 50 amp breaker labeled "Internal Common Trip". You can see it circled here in this unfortunately grainy picture. Note, the one to its right and the pair below are also labeled "Internal Common Trip". No others in the panel are labeled this way: And also, the bottom half of it here: I can add more images when I get home from work. Anyway, I'm trying to determine what's more likely the cause of the tripping. My wife says she smells a faint burning smell from the panel when it trips. I have a home warranty which will cover (with a $100 copay) repair, but I have to pay a separate copay for the appliance repair shop and then another if it turns out to need an electrician (assuming the appliance shop can't do the electrical work itself). What would be more likely in this case? A bad breaker or a bad oven? Are there any steps I can take to narrow down the cause? Thanks! <Q> My suspicion is that it is a faulty igniter (glow coil) in the oven. <S> I had the same problem with my NXR oven. <S> At first the circuit breaker would trip somewhat unpredictably while the oven was on. <S> I had a service technologist come out who could find nothing wrong with the oven. <S> After a few more weeks the circuit breaker started tripping fairly consistently after approximately 1-2 minutes of turning the oven on. <S> Each time before the breaker tripped, I could see that the igniter of the main oven was heating up normally as it got hot and started to glow orange. <S> The igniter is a glow coil that turns on as soon as you turn the oven on and that stays on as long as the oven is on. <S> To pinpoint the problem, I tested several variations. <S> Turned the broiler on as this uses a separate igniter - This did not trip the breaker. <S> Turned the oven light and fan on without turning the oven on - <S> This also did not trip the breaker. <S> Turned on other appliances that are on the same breaker circuit - <S> This also did not trip the breaker. <S> Based on all of the above, I deducted that the problem was most likely caused by the igniter of the oven. <S> I bought this new igniter on amazon for $16 to replace the old one: ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001DPQN70?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00 ) <S> There are several sites with instructions on how to replace an igniter in a gas oven. <S> I used this one: http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2288437/if-susan-fixed-her-nxr-oven-ignitor-u-can-2 <S> Since I replaced the igniter, the oven has worked great and the circuit breaker hasn't trip anymore. <S> I think, although I was never able to confirm this, that after the igniter got hot (takes a minute or so), it somehow caused a short circuit. <S> I checked the resistance of the faulty igniter after removing it and it was normal (same resistance as new igniter). <S> Not surprising as I was checking the resistance when the igniter was cold and the circuits never tripped right away after turning the oven on when the igniter was still cold. <A> It doesn't sound like a short. <S> It happens after five minutes... each time. <S> I would turn the circuit off and than I would visually inspect the back of the receptacle first. <S> Are the screws tight? <S> Any burnt looking wires anywhere in the box?Than <S> if that is good I would switch that breaker out for a breaker that works. <S> If it holds, you know your breaker needs to be replaced. <S> You must have confidence in knowing you know how to turn off circuits to do this. <S> If you are uncomfortable, just call an electrician. <S> I am sure it won't take them that long to figure it out. <S> You could even have a breaker at home for them ready (and return it to a store- if they will let you- if he does not need it.) <A> There is obviously something wrong, and I highly doubt it is the breaker. <S> You can view the wiring in the panel by turning off the main breaker and unscrewing the cover plate. <S> You will see something like this: As you can see, there is not much opportunity for a short, however, if the wires are touching somehow and burnt, then it could be a short. <S> You could "fix" this by separating the shorted wires, but this would leave a dangerous condition. <S> Normally the entire run would have to be replaced--by an electrician. <S> In any case, it is unlikely it is in the box, and more likely to be farther upstream in the circuit.
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To me it also sounds like loose wiring or a bad breaker. Debugging oven circuits is a job for an electrician.
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3" conduit with many bends - is it worth to build it? I am working on sending some cables (RG6, Cat5 and speaker cables) from basement to the attic. This is a typical 2-story house. After reading some posts found over the Internet, I am now considering to build a conduit using PVC pipes. The conduit will be 3" in diameter, enough to put many wires inside. However due to the location of the utility room, as well as the wall chosen to embed the conduit, it will have 6 bends in a total length around 55 feet. I am little bit worried about I really can add wires through this conduit after I build it, considering that it is quite long and has 6 bends in the total run. What is your opinion? Thanks <Q> This is actually quite simple. <S> Step one - use PVC electrical conduit , not PVC pipe. <S> Step two - provide an access point (such as an LB, or a junction box) for every 360 degrees (at most) of turn. <S> This will be something that remains accessible by removing a panel when the walls are closed back up, like any other junction box access. <S> If you have 6 90 degree turns, either put in 3 90's and an access point (if using an LB, that can be the access point) or 4 90's an an access point, depending how the run works out best for placing the access point. <S> 3, access point <S> , 3 would be most balanced, but 4, access point, 2 is also fine. <S> There's no need to get too excited about leaving a pull string in place - you can always vacuum one in, or pull one in while pulling an old cable out. <S> Do make sure that the ends of your conduit terminate in junction boxes from which the cables leave by fairly tight holes or grooves (or through proper cable clamps, but that can be tricky with pre-terminated cables), so that your conduit does not become your new rodent pathway and nest. <A> You'll want a chase string to be 2x the total length of the run, and tie it off to each end of the run by tying it to an eye hook or a screw. <S> Then it won't (generally) matter how convoluted the run is <S> , you'll always have the chase string to guide wires from one end to the other. <S> I like to use mason's twine for chase string- <S> tough enough to not break, but supple enough to go anywhere. <A> I'm assuming you're talking about not using proper plastic electrical conduit. <S> If you want the capability of adding wires later, it sounds like the only solution with that many turns. <S> Be sure to use the longest sweeps you can - normal vent 90's will not work. <S> Many manufacturers make extra long sweeps for regular pvc that is not in the home center - hopefully you can find a supplier for these that will send you just 6. <S> Alternatively, you can use paired 45's or even try bend your own using a high-end heatgun - <S> but with 3" pipe, that's going to be rough. <S> After the run is created, be sure to leave a leader in the conduit for ease of pulling new cable. <S> One way to do this is to snake a length of string clear through the pipe and attach the string to the other end of the conduit (leave the string attached to the spool). <S> Pull the snake out and tie a loop in the string at the starting point (plus a 2' of slack, then pull this through the conduit as well until the loop comes out the other side). <S> Finally, with the loop at the far end, cut the sting off the spool and attach the string to the conduit. <S> Neatly gather the extra at one end and leave it there. <S> This gives you a string to shuttle wire back and forth the conduit without snaking it every time. <S> Occasionally, replace the string if it starts to look worn. <S> There are other ways to shuttle as well. <S> Any way you do it, the conduit is key and will make the task of upgrading very easy. <S> Note - I believe code requires you not to mix high and low voltage wires in the same conduit, so don't plan to use this to run new outlets later on. <A> There is a special tool that can be used to install a pull string in any 3" pipe no matter how many bends. <S> It looks like this: Be sure to use lots of lubricant when you do the pull. <S> Hmm, that came out sounding wrong. <A> I would try to include a couple of PVC cleanouts at a couple of the interior bends, ideally evenly spaced (eg. <S> bend - cleanout - bend - bend - cleanout - bend). <S> This way you could start a cable and pull it through the cleanout before feeding it back in and pulling to the next cleanout. <S> This means each pull only has to traverse one or two bends at a time, cutting down on friction and lessening your chances of damaging the wires. <S> Incorporate TX-Turner's suggestion and include the chase string between each cleanout. <A> Depending how many bends are in the conduit it can be difficult to pull wires. <S> Not having more than 360 degrees in the total is a good rule to follow.
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While you're building the run, you can put a chase string in place, and use it to pull cables. So as long as all your bends (90 degrees, plus 90 degrees, plus 90 degrees etc..) doesn't add up to more than 360, it should be good. Don't worry, you can do it. Use electrical conduit sweeps, not plumbing 90's or 45's. Do it, or don't do it, as you prefer.
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Ordering new windows for old house... Wall thickness? I'm rehabbing a structure from the 1850's. As you can imagine, nothing is square, level or plumb. The walls were originally plaster on top of true 2x4's. I've brought the house down to the studs, and am going back with exterior sheathing (0.5") on top of true 2x4's (4.0") plus drywall inside (0.5").That gives me an actual wall thickness of 5.0". That tells me I should order my new windows for a wall depth of 5.0" Problem is, the walls are not straight or consistent. Should I order windows with a little extra? Like 5.5"? I had experience doing this to my first house, which was also from the 1850's, and it took me forever to get the interior trim around the windows right. I had to cut shims, and wedges, because the walls were wavy. It was a huge pain. Specifically: If my wall has a nominal thickness of 5.0", what is a sane amount of expected deviation? Maybe 0.25"? Should I order windows for a wall depth of 5.25" and just shim out the interior trim? <Q> The sanest thing is to order new construction flanged windows that are a bit smaller than the rough opening. <S> Then you integrate the flange with the WRB that you're installing over the new sheathing (right?) <S> and bob's your uncle. <S> Since you're taking this house down to the studs and redoing the exterior sheathing, let me mention that you have a golden opportunity to add extra insulation outboard of the new sheathing. <S> The marginal cost will be fairly low, especially if you're doing the work yourself and buy reclaimed foam. <S> Resources: <S> http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/how-install-rigid-foam-sheathing http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/video-how-install-rigid-foam-insulation-outside-house <S> http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/calculating-minimum-thickness-rigid-foam-sheathing <A> Window standard depth is 4 9/16". <S> The rule with windows and doors is that you block them out to fit the window/door not the other way around. <S> (Every time I see somebody trying to shave a door I chuckle.) <S> What you did before is correct. <S> The skill is learning how to trim the window as efficiently and securely as possible. <A> If you're just planning on painting the window jambs, it'd likely be easier for you to order them without trim, and do it yourself. <S> It's easy and you might spend an hour or more on the first one, maybe a half hour on the second, and by the 10th one you'll be knocking them out in 5 minutes. <S> This is especially helpful when, as you said, the walls aren't going to be straight or consistent, and the rough openings aren't square. <S> You can rip the pieces to the right width for each window without having to fuss with them too much. <S> What you'll do is put a straightedge along the wall and find the widest point, which will be your measurement. <S> Put the cut side against the window and leave the factory edge facing out (into the room) where you'll see a bit of it. <S> Do the top first, then the sides, shimming as needed to make it square with the window. <S> Then go to the next window and come back later to install the sill and apron while you're putting on the casing. <S> If the walls are really bad then <S> yeah, you'll end up having to shim the casing out in some areas... <S> Unless you want to fix the framing while you've got it all torn apart. <S> Run string lines from end to end of a room (at the top and bottom of the wall) and sister the existing studs to come out even with the furthest out ones. <S> This is a huge pain, but it will make your life easier when installing the drywall and trimming the windows and doorways.
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On the inside, you can cover up the lack of square-ness with new drywall or wood window boxes, shimmed to be square with the window, not the rough opening.
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240v outlet not delivering 240 volts To spare you all the long version of my two week nightmare: bought a house built in 1976. Hooked up dryer, switched to 3 prong plug. Dryer ran fine, started to smell like burning plastic until it stopped running altogether. Dryer is fine, power cable apparently gave out. New power cable, dryer comes on, but no heat. It turns out the problem is really somewhere in the electrical. I have a cheap voltmeter that only gives four readings 120, 240, 277, and over 400. This morning I measured each leg at the receptacle for 120v to ground. Together, both hots only measured 120v, which makes no sense to anybody I've asked. At the dryer, each hot to neutral read the same 120v, but together give no reading. Looking at the breaker each hot to neutral is 120v, and together the voltmeter says 277v. I noticed the breaker was a 40 amp which probably contributed to this mess. I replaced it with a 30 amp and the readings stayed the same. All of my double pole breakers give the reading of 277v. I also replaced the tired-looking receptacle that was probably original to the house on the hopes that maybe it was the cause to the problem. All readings were the same. Now that I'm home from work, I have different readings at the dryer and the outlet. One hot says 120v to ground and the other gives no readings at all. Both hots together are also 0. Nothing has changed between this and my earlier reading. I was very careful switching the breaker out because I don't want to die and don't want to cause another problem somewhere else. What's going on? Who am I? What dark force is keeping me from doing laundry? I'm willing to guess that my five dollar probe isn't known for its accuracy. On the off chance my house is getting 277v, what would that mean for my appliances and whether or not my house is going to burn down? I tested everything again this morning, and both legs read 120 to ground, and I know that one leg wasn't doing that eight hours before. Clearly the line from box to receptacle is doing something it shouldn't. Luckily both dryer and breaker box are in my garage and I can follow the cable up from the box, across the unfinished joists, and into the drywall behind the dryer. I don't have to cave in several walls around the house to get to anything. Is this something an amateur can fix with the right materials and the help of other amateurs that know what 240v feels like? <Q> Well, first of all...you probably didn't have an actual 277volts. <S> What you had is a cheap meter. <S> I have seen all kinds of whacky voltage readings from the $5 harbor freight meters I have laying around. <S> The only place one sees something other than 120 or 240 volts in a "normal" residential setting is the very rare "3 phase power". <S> The vast majority of homes do not have any 3 phase power available. <S> It has to be run to the house specifically as an unusual setup. <S> When this exists in a home it would add "208V" to the list of possible voltages. <S> Again, very rare and probably not at your house. <S> The only place you would see a real 277V is in a big factory. <S> It is normally used for HUGE machines such as big welders and bigger shop equipment than you have probably seen before. <S> Normal DIY shop equipment runs on 120V. <S> HUGE shop equipment requires 3 phase connection with the 208V "wye 3 phase" mentioned above. <S> The 277V delta 3 phase would never be seen in a house, and only rarely in any commercial building you have been in. <S> It is typical only in large factories. <S> Now as for what's probably wrong...you probably have a loose connection or a broken wire on one side of your 220 connection. <S> This would give you 0v between the two hots, but still 120 from 1 hot to neutral. <S> As for how to fix it? <S> Hire an electrician. <S> Could you fix it yourself? <S> maybe. <S> Could you burn your house down? <S> maybe. <S> Could you sleep at night after messing with it yourself? <S> only just maybe. <S> Hire a professional for anything that is a combination of dangerous and slightly outside your comfort zone. <A> As to your problem: You clearly have a bad connection or intermittent fault somewhere in the wiring for your dryer. <S> I would turn the breaker off and examine the cable for that circuit to see if it is chafed against the edge of a knockout, pierced by a stray nail, or making bad contact with the receptacle; if you don't feel comfortable with that, turn the breaker off and call a local electrician. <A> Instead of Testing the Hots of the outlet, test the screws on the back where you connected the wires. <S> There can be a connection issue with the meter probe lead and the inside of the socket. <S> If you are sure you have 240(277, get a new meter and a non-contact voltage tester like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UAHZAM/ ) then its between the Breaker and the outlet. <S> Not sure if the line is dedicated, but I've seen where the two Hots of a 240v circuit were wired to the same Main Hot-leg of the breaker panel. <S> If some how they are both on the same Hot Leg, and you measure across them, you get 0v. <S> If that happens they are both the same hot leg.
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I would treat the 277V reading as equivalent to 240V in your case, as your tester is likely just a bit out of calibration (single-family dwellings are served by 240/120 split phase or occasionally 208Y/120 three phase, not 480Y/277 three phase in any case!). The Non-contact voltage tester is great as you can stick it in the hot hole of the outlet and it beeps if there is Power. But each one to ground is 120. It is extremely rare in a house. Big shop equipment runs on 240V. Every other breaker in the panel is on a different hot leg, so adjacent breakers should measure 240.
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Paint bubbling and peeling on a steel door I have a steel front door, behind a solid glass storm door. It gets so hot that paint bubbles and peels. Any suggestions? <Q> I'd bet on "poor preparation/paint job" (given that preparation is 90% of a good paint job.) <S> If you wanted to, you could use a high-temperature paint such as engine enamel (typically good to 450F or more) (no need to go for the exhaust-manifold paints unless your doorframe is charring, I think.) <S> I strongly suspect that's not really needed; you could put a magnet on a thermometer and stick it to the door to get a reading for what the temperature actually is some sunny day. <A> What color is the door? <S> Maybe you could paint it a lighter color. <A> I was able to find some vents that I can install in the bottom and top of the storm door. <S> Hopefully this will help some, and it will will be an easy option to try, before more expensive options such as a complete main door/storm door replacement.
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Depending on the glass door, you can buy vent kits to install in your outer door. Maybe you could plant a tree that could provide some shade in front of it.
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Do separate pieces of EMT conduit qualify as "pull points"? Question: Do two separate pieces of EMT conduit joined by a connector qualify as a "pull point"? Background: I need to make six 90 degree turns in 2" EMT conduit to route wire for a new sub-panel which means my run is subject to NEC 2011 clause 358.26: 358.26 Bends — Number in One Run. There shall not bemore than the equivalent of four quarter bends (360 degreestotal) between pull points, for example, conduit bodies andboxes. However, I cannot find anywhere that the NEC specifically defines a "pull point" other than the examples of "conduit bodies and boxes". It makes sense to me that "conduit bodies" means having two separate pieces of conduit joined with a connector (as per the connectors to the 90 degree bend in the above picture) because the conduit bodies can be separated to allow for pulling without over-stressing the wire, but I want to confirm if this is the correct interpretation. Or, do I need a special elbow pull fitting like shown below (the picture shows smaller conduit), or are these fittings just for convenience if you later decide to pull more wire through the conduit? Picture credit of http://www.diyadvice.com/diy/electrical/cable/metal-conduit/ EDIT: Thanks to all for your answers. I somehow overlooked the definition of conduit body in the standard: Conduit Body. A separate portion of a conduit or tubingsystem that provides access through a removable cover(s)to the interior of the system at a junction of two or moresections of the system or at a terminal point of the system.Boxes such as FS and FD or larger cast or sheet metalboxes are not classified as conduit bodies. <Q> NO! <S> Regular couplings, those in the first image, are NOT pull points. <S> Pull points are conduit bodies or boxes, or even those silly little elbows in the second image. <S> My suggestion would be to install a conduit body at strategic locations. <S> For your installation you really only need one. <S> Conduit bodies: <A> Conduit it typically mounted and strapped so you can not readily separate the joints shown in the first picture. <S> Do it <S> right the first time and make it easy on you or anyone else who has to work on it later. <A> You're talking about linear conduit which is assembled and tightened. <S> The Code you cite specifically talks about a removable cover. <S> You must complete construction of the conduit system, including strapping it down to resist pulling forces, before you are allowed to load any wires into it. <S> Obviously, once wires are in it, you are not to take it apart without first pulling the wires out. <S> We see it all the time where people pull the wires as they go, and find themselves solving simple problems by misusing conduit bodies to make sharp turns. <S> They either position the body so the cover is inaccessible (lid up against the wall, later covered up with drywall etc.) <S> Obviously that kind of plan does not work if you are obliged to pull the wires last. <S> In fact, you should buy the wires last . <S> So many times we see novices learn more about their situation, and realize they are better off with a different wire than they selected. <S> But it's too late! <S> They already bought it. <S> So don't - buy the wire for the complicated work after everything else is done.
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Pull points would mean a way to pull the with without separating the joints of the conduit themselves.
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Can I build an electrical pole structure to hold a power wire into my property? The power pole to my house is at the back right corner of the property. However, it's a little outside my property line. I wanted to run a power line straight down along the pole and into the ground but then I would need an easement since it's actually in someone else's property. So, can I run the line from the power pole to another pole that is within my property line, then run the line to the ground. Then run it underground all the way to my house? Basically, can I build a pole structure to hold the wire into my property? Maybe even a little shed or something, if I have to. I don't want to run the line straight from the pole to the house because I will plant some trees that will be directly under the line. Option: I also have a garage that is in the back left corner of the property. I guess, I could also run the power line to the garage (50' run), have a main panel in the garage, then use the house as a sub panel? The garage is currently powered by the house with an underground wire. I don't know the gauge on the wire. Back Right Corner of Property Back Right Corner of Property From Backyard to Front Right Corner View <Q> My company (FPL) has a program where they will give you the conduit to bury along with instructions. <S> Once everything is set up and meets their standards, they will bring the lines down the pole for you. <S> There is a fee, of course. <S> For FPL in my area, it would cost around $580 plus the cost of an electrician (and permits) <S> you must hire to rearrange the meter. <A> Moving the main service to the garage is probably the most practical option if an easement for full underground is impossible. <S> You will almost certainly need to change the feed wire between the garage and the house for that approach, but that's similar to what you would need to do for an underground feed anyway. <S> Probably most practical to actually establish new service at the garage and then disconnect the old service to the house, to minimize disruption. <S> (i.e., as opposed to "actually move it") <S> but again, it will depend on your utility's policies and procedures. <A> Normally they will only hang their wire on their pole, set in an easement. <S> Your first option "run a power line straight down along the pole" is still your first option. <S> In my State they even need an easement for the overhead to cross neighbors air space. <S> You really need to check with your utility engineering department.
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Check with your utility to see if they have a program to bury your service line. The utility must already have easements to access the pole that would in all likelihood cover burial to your yard.
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How to run Ethernet cable along a brick wall? I want to run an Ethernet wire from the living room where my TV and router are to the basement where my office is. The problem is that when I lifted the drop ceiling in the basement, I saw that the drywall is attached directly to the brick wall (actually looks like concrete blocks) that I share with my neighbor. The wall to the right is where the cable hookup is and that goes down to the basement as well.Is there a way to run the cable along that brick wall or should I drop the Ethernet cable in the cable hookup box? Edit:This is interior wall <Q> There are cable clamps available that have nails suitable for masonry walls <A> If you can run the Ethernet to the basement through the cable box, why not just do that? <S> Both the co-ax and the Ethernet cables are low voltage. <S> There's no problem running them together in the same box and/or conduit. <S> If you run the Ethernet cable exposed along the wall, it won't cause data transmission problems, but it won't be attractive and you'll have to secure the cable to the drywall or the concrete blocks. <S> If this is all indoors, you're not going to have a problem with the cable jacket breaking down. <S> Although you can obtain UV resistant and direct-bury Ethernet cable if there's going to be exterior exposure. <S> Whether it's interior or exterior, you could also consider using conduit. <S> Bear in mind that Ethernet requires a minimum 3" bend radius--don't kink the cable or bend it at a sharp angle around or within any corners or you'll have data transmission problems (or failure). <A> If the flooring has has trim it is very easy to shimmy off just enough to drill a 1/4" hole for the cable. <S> ( requires you to know how to make cat5 connections ) <S> But otherwise yes perfectly fine to run along a brick wall. <S> Just might break down faster from the elements, if that worries you then run in conduit
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You can the leave as is or be more professional and cut in a box and snake the cable back around to it.
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Does running a dehumidifier with an AC unit save money? I've done as much research as i can an every site i hit seems to have a different story on my question: "Will a dehumidifier save energy while running your AC through the summer"? The ones that say "yes" pretty much reason that you usually can raise your thermostat a few degrees because of the lower humidity it will "feel" more comfortable. While they reason that yes AC do dehumidify also but it will put less of a load on your AC system. The ones that say "no" say AC units doesn't run optimally when a dehumidifier is running (they don't go into details). Also, by design, dehumidifiers heat the air. How much of a difference that makes, i don't know. That being said dehumidifiers do pull quite a bit of energy (i'm sure not NEARLY the amount of an AC unit though). I live in zone 5 (central IL). Hot/humid summers and cold/dry winters. I don't need a dehumidifier for the winter (we actually need a humidifier then). Also, as a lot of you probably already know, current dehumidifiers are some of the most unreliable appliances you can buy. Its one of the few things i know make sure i get an extended warranty for. I'm on my 3rd unit and, one of the reasons i'm here, is to find out if i need to budget for another one. Sure i'm sure there will be days when i could not run the AC and just run the dehumidifier but i don't think there will be enough of those days to warrant a dehumidifier if i really don't need one. <Q> A dehumidifier is about the same as a window AC unit with both parts in the house, for most purposes. <S> They draw just as much power as an A/C unit of similar size (or more if they happen to be old and inefficient.) <S> Given that the required energy labeling on A/C units tends to promote a degree of of paying attention to that, <S> and it's much less clear on dehumidifiers <S> , I suspect that in many cases the A/C of similar size will actually use less power - and it doesn't make your house hot. <S> Sure, comparing a room dehumidifier to a whole house <S> A/C, the whole house uses more energy - but it also removes more water from the air, and cools the house. <S> It would only be ANY savings if the whole house was LESS efficient (power in to water out) than the dehumidifier. <S> If you are running the A/C as well, you are also ADDING the heat from the dehumidifier to the A/C load. <S> In short, run the A/C, don't bother with a dehumidifier unless you have a job that a dehumidifier (alone) is suited for; Which it sounds like you probably don't. <S> If you want to get "something like that" without the downsides, when your water heater wears out, consider a heat pump water heater - free hot water with a little A/C, or free A/C with your hot water. <S> Still rather expensive, but sometimes with large rebates available too. <A> However, they can be useful in certain home scenarios, like a mold/mildew-prone basement that is typically cold and humid. <S> Colder air can hold less moisture than warmer air (check out a psychrometic chart for proof), so cooling raises the relative humidity of the supply air, and in areas that are very humid, targeting a certain relative humidity using a split (condenser outside) <S> A/C system can lead to runaway cooling. <S> Indeed, the simplest and cheapest dehumidifier is a space heater (resistive heating strips are used in some commercial applications in combination with an A/C), but that's not much good for efficient comfort in the summer. <S> In the summer, we need to operate a dehumidifier in our basement to keep it below 60% RH despite (and likely due in part to) setting a relatively low (70-72F) <S> A/C setpoint for comfort on the main level. <S> An added benefit is that the heat from the dehum keeps the basement less chilly, which also indirectly helps to lower the RH. <A> I live in the Florida Panhandle, before I got married I had a small 1400 square foot block house that was built in the 50's. <S> Since it was a rental the owners never wanted to spend money to make improvements. <S> That being said the ac would never shut off in the heat of summer. <S> I put 2 roof vents in with my own money to try and make a difference. <S> I deal with construction contractors every day <S> and I talked to an ac friend one day and told him what was going on with my issues and the ac. <S> He told me to go and buy a dehumidifier on my way home and put it in the hallway of my house. <S> Reluctantly I did on Friday afternoon the week before the 4th of July. <S> The next day was the first time my ac shut off in the middle of the day. <S> Up to that point I could not tell you that it ever shut off during the day. <S> My power bill went from the low 300's to about 190 average in the summer. <S> I don't have a degree in, nor do I profess to really understand all the theories, but I can tell you if you live down here <S> and you need immediate relief <S> you will definitely notice a difference. <S> I've been all over the country and nothing compares to the humidity on a regular basis as we have on the gulf coast. <S> We have about 3 months of winter if we are lucky and the rest of it is summer. <A> I just had an AC technician advise me to get an AC unit with included dehumidifier to address a problem of dripping vents and mold on the upstairs units. <S> I live in New Orleans, so the humidity is high. <S> He says that the combo should eliminate the mold and the AC would be more efficient, thus cost saving. <S> Another option is to get just the humidifier unit to go up with the AC unit, although our AC units are already 12 years old, so perhaps a new unit is a better choice.
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I would say a dehumidifier would not be a more efficient choice for summer comfort than turning down the thermostat on an A/C. Sure, the delta-T across exterior walls would drop, so somewhat less heat would seep in from outside, but as was already mentioned, the A/C then has to remove the dehumidifier's additional heat from the home (100% of the input power plus the heat imparted from condensation).
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How to remove broken threaded water pipe The pipe connecting my shower head to the wall has broken off. I removed the head and tried to remove the theaded pipe but the potruding metal broke off completely. Is there anyway to remove the part that's still stuck without drilling the wall and replace the pipe? Landlord would kill me for that. <Q> There is a tool that will remove the pipe. <S> It works on the inside of the pipe so it needs none of the pipe to grab onto. <S> This one set may work, but this is the type I think is more reliable. <A> Is it actually pipe thats left in the wall? <S> This happened in my bathroom but it was actually just a cheap piece of PVC type plastic made to look like metal that broke off. <S> The blade itself is small enough to fit in the space and we did two cuts (at about 4:30 and 7:00 positions if you look at it and pretend it's a clock). <S> Just go slow and easy. <S> It won't take to much extra time to go slow. <S> You will be able to take it out in two pieces or three. <S> Good luck. <S> If it was plastic, opt for the new metal piece when you replace it! <A> Just had this same problem with irrigation in front yard. <S> I can't think of its generic name <S> but it's also called a nipple extractor. <S> You can get a set at Lowes or Home Depot for 20-30.See YouTube video and how to do it: http://youtu.be/8Wns8rs1mVc <A> Had the same problem before. <S> What i did was to use a hachsaw blade. <S> I made 2 cuts about 5 mm apart and remove that part tapping it with small screw driver and hammer. <S> You can now remove the rest of embedded part by tapping. <S> Make sure that you dont damage the pipe thread. <S> It will take some time to cut with a hacksaw blade.
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If it is actually the cheap plastic, we cut it very carefully with a hack saw blade taken out of the actual hacksaw.
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How can I lift buckets of mortar to second floor? I need to lift around 100-120 buckets of mortar to level the surface of two slabs (around 20 square meters). Besides raising each bucket pulling a rope up, is there any other (EASY) way of doing that? I have a pulley but I have nowhere to anchor it. Here are some schematics of the area: Back side (lower, but harded to bring the buckets all the way around it). Front side (higher, but easier to mix the cement right in front of it). <Q> If you have a pulley and no way to anchor it overhead, you could always lift from the top, with the pulley attached to the bucket. <S> Of course, you'll need to have an anchor for the rope somewhere on the floor you're at, but it only has to be at the height you want to lift the bucket to. <S> The resulting load will be half of the bucket that you're lifting. <S> If you REALLY don't have anywhere to tie off to, have a buddy hold the other end of the rope. <S> Obligatory MS Paint diagram: <A> Lift the dry materials, run a hose for the water, mix in place, avoid having to lift the weight of the water. <S> The REALLY EASY but <S> rather expensive method - hire a concrete pump truck for the day. <A> I had a project some years back building a 28 foot high chimney. <S> Needless to say there was a need to hoist a lot of buckets of mortar and then all the chimney blocks and flue liners up to the work site. <S> You could try this same approach. <S> The scaffolds can be convenient because they can also serve as a access point to the elevated surface and include a built in ladder. <S> Units as shown above are easily stacked to the necessary height and can be joined end to end to make a more sturdy working condition.
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I ended up renting some scaffold bracket assemblies that came with a overhanging cross bar with a large pulley hanging on the end of it.
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garage door button on the wall does not work but remote control does open and close garage door My remote control opens & closes the garage door but the button on the wall does not work. <Q> There are a few possibilities, you can eliminate them one by one: Take proper safety precautions to ensure that you are not injured if the door operates while you perform the following tests <S> The wiring is loose at the opener. <S> Depending on your opener, you may have screw terminals or push in connectors. <S> Check that the wires are secure by gently tugging on them. <S> (Note that most openers will have two sets of wires -- one going to the button, and another to the photocell safety mechanism. <S> If the unit operates correctly with the remote, the ones going to the photocell are probably OK). <S> Bad wiring or button. <S> If you have screw connectors, touch a screwdriver to the two screws that the button connects to. <S> If you have push-in connectors, remove the wires (they may be color-coded, keep track of which is which) and briefly connect a wire to the two terminals. <S> The button is bad. <S> Disconnect the wires from the button and touch the bare ends together. <S> If the door operates, either the wires weren't securely connected to the button, or it's gone bad. <S> If the button is bad, you can replace with a like replacement, or a simple doorbell button (although you will lose the ability to control the light or turn on security mode if your button offers those features). <S> If you've eliminated the above, the control board in the opener may have gone bad, possibly as a result of a voltage surge. <S> On some models, replacement boards are available online and are easy to replace. <S> Search online for the model number of your unit for leads. <A> I replaced mine with a 50 cent doorbell button. <S> Works fine; no more fist slamming. <A> A caution here. <S> Not sure what brand garage door opener is talked about here. <S> I have <S> a Genie door opener and installation manual for the wall button has in "WARNING!! <S> in BIG BOLD letters saying "Be <S> sure Wire ends do not touch each other or other Terminals."
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If the door operates, the problem is in the wire or button.
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Photovoltaic installation: does it make sense (or is possible at all) to get a bigger inverter than the power output of the installed panels? We are going to install a PV in our offices. Our actual needs would be satisfied by an installation of about 4kW, so that ~16 panels of 250W. It's going to be a central-inverter, grid-connected installation. Now, we would probably need more power in a few years. So I'm asking the contractors to quote me a bigger inverter, say, one for 6kW, thinking that if I already have a bigger inverter, then I can just buy more panels when needed, without having to change the inverter itself. I had the idea that I could put a bigger inverter, say, maybe even a 8kW or so, and it will produce what my panels would produce even if it's just half the capacity of the inverter. But one of the contractors just told me that it wasn't the case. That the inverters "just work" under specific loads, for instance, the 4kW "doesn't start" if it's not feed 3.2kW (or so) from the solar panels. That doesn't make sense to me, specially since for what I have read the inverters just need a certain voltage to start, and that voltage, for instance, is the same for the inverters (in this case, Fronius) from 3kW to 7.5kW, specifically, 260V. This means (I'm no electrical engineer, but I'm no complete layman either) to me that the same power from the panels array is needed to start any of those inverters, so even if the maximum capacity is different, they can start producing as long as the Voltage from the array is 260V. I'm not talking about putting 4kW worth of panels and an inverter for 20kW or something like that. I'm talking at most of a 10kW inverter, that it's the max amount I could put of solar panels in our roof, and the max one can generate for oneself here in México (or so I understand). I understand if they are not at their maximum efficiency if not feed under their expected output range, but that they "don't start" doesn't make sense to me. Am I missing something? Thanks! <Q> Better idea: get panels with their own micro-inverters. <S> Then you can add more panels at will in the future. <S> Bonus: micro-inverters are more efficient than a central inverter and will last longer. <A> You are right, that contractor doesn't know what he is talking about. <S> Most inverters will produce power at low wattages as long as the Vmp of the string (maximum power voltage) doesn't fall below the spec in the data sheet for the inverter. <S> Most inverters are actually more efficient when operated below full load. <S> For example the Sunny boy 11000TL-US will has a peak efficiency at 20% of rated load, or at 2,200W as seen on the data sheet linked above. <S> You can always check the data sheet for the model you're looking at. <S> Often they'll have efficiency charts like the one linked above. <S> As a rule of thumb, you generally don't want to run an inverter below 8% of its rating, but that depends on the inverter. <S> You also want to remember that the panels will produce less during the morning and evening <S> so I wouldn't really want an array be be much smaller than 40% of the inverter's rating. <S> By these numbers, a 4kW array would be fine on a 10kW inverter as long as your minimum voltage and maximum voltage are in spec. <S> But your inverter may be pretty expensive... <S> Thanks,Maxfield Solar <A> This depends on exactly what equpiment you're using. <S> Other kits may be configured other ways. <S> Talk with whoever is designing your installation, or if you're doing it yourself get design docs from the manufacturers.
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My system was designed to have one inverter for each 2 panels, all synchronized to each other and to the power lines so I can do "net metering" rather than having to maintain any kind of local power storage.
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What kind of blow torch to use for a stuck bolt I'm trying to remove a tire from a lawn tractor and the bolt is stuck. I've tried all kinds of penetrating oils and an impact driver with no luck. A lot of websites recommend heating the bolt. What kind of heat source should I use? Addition: Thanks for the tips. The problem with a breaker bar in this case is that, due to the shape of the tire rim, I need to use an extension to get a socket wrench on the bolt and the bolt head is thin so everything falls off easily. <Q> First. <S> I would ensure that you are using a 4-way Tire Iron. <S> It makes you apply equal pressure to the bolt <S> and you will be amazed at the different. <S> In fact, if you have not tried this. <S> Then i would not worry about the heat source for now. <S> In terms of the blow torch. <S> you need anything that can throw enough heat to make the bolt almost red hot (note I say almost) <S> A butane torch will be totally fine. <S> Just watch out, the hot nut will be a little easier to snap when hot. <A> As others have said, be very careful of the flame and touching things that are flammable. <S> Also, know that the nut and the stud will stay hot for a surprisingly long time. <S> That is, in your excitement about finally getting the nut loose, don't grab a hold of it to unscrew it the last few threads and don't let it fall on anything plastic. <S> Handle with care. <A> A breaker bar should definitely be your next stop. <S> I don't know what kind of impact wrench you're using <S> but here are some sample torques I found online: Cordless (18v): 120 lb-ft Corded (120v) <S> : 220 lb-ft Pneumatic: 300-600+ lb-ft <S> It is relatively easy to exceed the torque of a cordless impact wrench, even with a small breaker bar. <S> E.g. with a 15" bar you need to apply 96 lbs to get 120 lb-ft. <S> The other thing I've tried in the past when I had a stuck bolt was taking it to my local mechanic. <S> The pneumatic impact wrenches they have surpass anything tool <S> you are likely to have. <S> (Getting a riding mower to a mechanic may be a challenge.) <A> You never add heat to anything near a inflated tire, since a tire can explode anytime up to 24 hrs after being heated. <S> Lots of people have learned that the hard way. <S> I would use a 15 point socket and torque wrench on blaster <A> Before you do that, try a breaker bar. <S> Nothing beats a few feet of leverage for this kind of thing. <A> Not so much that you distort the bolt head and can't get your wrench on, but just some to help it break loose. <S> Also, will it help to take the tire off the rim? <S> At least that would get it away from the blow torch. <S> Can you apply penetrating oil to the BACKSIDE of the hub as well as the front? <A> I went through Bernzomatic's web site to find out what would be best for this. <S> It came out with the TS3500
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A standard propane torch like you would use for soldering plumbing or even one of those torches you use for make creme brule will work. An old trick is to hit the bolt head with a hammer to try to dislodge it.
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Grounding requirements for main panel and subpanel I recently had my main service professionally upgraded to 200A and had a 60A subpanel installed in my master suite to support future additions. All work passed city inspection, for whatever that's worth. I'm just now noticing some things about the work that I'm not so sure about. The main panel is in an separate-attached garage. The majority of circuits enter the house through a covered breezeway between the garage and house. The new 60A subpanel in the master suite is fed by wires in a buried conduit run through the backyard from the garage. Questions: Only one ground rod was driven for the 200A panel. Is this sufficient? There are only 3 conductors between the main and sub. 2 hot and 1 neutral, no separate ground. There is a ground bar installed in the panel, but no wires connect to it. When I asked the electrician about this after the fact, he said that the neutral wire also serves as the ground, and that it is ok to do this in a subpanel. Is he correct? I've read that ground and neutral bars should not be bonded in a subpanel, but in this case there isn't even a ground wire - neutral and ground share the same wire. <Q> The NEC only requires two ground rods if one doesn't suffice the 25ohms requirement. <S> If an additional ground is installed then a minium of 6' spacing is required between them. <S> The only time the neutrals and grounds are allowed to tie together are in the main disconnect. <S> To keep the neutrals and grounds separated, a 4 wire should have been used to feed your sub panel. <A> Your subpanel required a 4-wire feed, with separate ground wire, unless you have a local ordinance that makes an exception. <S> It's possible the relationship between electrician and inspector has gotten corrupt, and the inspector and electrician have convinced each other that this is OK. <S> The good news is that ground wires can be retrofitted, as of NEC 2014 (and a bit earlier for some applications). <S> However, if the conduit is made of metal, that actually is a perfectly allowable grounding path , and that means you are grounded. <S> However that does not explain the lack of ground wires on the ground bar in the subpanel, unless all branch circuits are also in metal conduit. <S> I maintain four buildings, all in metal conduit, and there's not a ground wire in any of them. <S> You do not need a separate ground rod for this subpanel since it's in the same building. <S> The fact that the route is outside is irrelevant. <S> You only need 1 ground rod if it passes the magic 25-ohm test. <S> Otherwise you need 2, however they can both be off the main panel. <S> By the way, the reason we require wired ground and ground rods (for outbuildings) is that 25 ohms isn't nearly good enough. <A> There's National Code, State Code and Local Code. <S> All vary based upon the panel's opinion, but as long as the wiring safely gets the job done, then that's all that counts. <S> Main Panel has two hot wires and a neutral wire supplied from the meter. <S> Electrician adds a ground wire, which is connected to a grounding source, such as a ground rod. <S> The ground wire is to be connected to the ground bar, the neutral bar and the case of the service panel. <S> Electrician is also to wire in a second ground source, in case the main ground line gets cut. <S> The second source can be metal water line, metal conduit, metal well head, etc. <S> Sub Panel requires the same configuration as Main Panel, with the exception of one thing: in a sub-panel the neutral bar is NOT grounded; it is to be attached to the sub-panel case with spacers to prevent grounding. <S> Notes: <S> If the Sub Panel is in the same building as the Main Panel, then a grounding rod isn't required. <S> A ground wire from the Main Panel to the Sub Panel may be used instead (This information is based on the 2020 National Electrical Code Book.) <A> You might want to read <S> this <S> for some more info but <S> in general, this isn't how it should be. <S> You should have a separate ground run from the main panel to the subpanel. <S> FWIW <S> I upgraded to 200A from 60A a few years ago, and the electrician only drove a single ground rod. <S> The inspector had me drive another one, I think the requirement was at least 12 ft from the first, and at least 8 ft down, or somewhere along those lines. <S> I'd imagine it might vary by region. <A> Not seeing a line side wire terminated to the ground buss could mean that it’s bonded to the neutral buss with the longer screw that is made to do so,however usually at a sub panel fed with 3 conductors, 2 hot & 1 neutralRequires a separate ground rod driven and terminated to the line side of the ground buss and for the ground not to be bonded to neutral at the sub panel.
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If there is no second ground source available for the sub-panel, then a ground wire may be run from the Main Panel to the Sub Panel and used as a second source of grounding. Code can differ from place to place, if a licensed electrician did the install and it passed inspection, I wouldn’t sweat it.
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Painting over bright color with Kilz and single-coat of one-coat paint: overkill? Underkill? We are expecting to close on a new house Friday, and my out-of-state father-in-law will be there for the weekend only to help us paint a couple of bedrooms. The rooms are bright colors now, and we want to replace the bright colors with a light gray on the wall and a white on the wainscoting. We intend to use a coat of Kilz primer, and he is recommending we use an expensive one-coat paint (Behr Marquee) on top of it. Will a single coat probably suffice? Is it overkill to use an expensive paint+primer on top of a primer? We will be painting with semi-gloss, and I believe that is what is on the walls already. <Q> I agree on using the primer first. <S> However, the combination primer/paint may be overkill. <S> I would plan for 1 coat of primer and two coats of regular paint, as it is tough for the average DIYer to get full coverage with one coat of paint. <A> I've used the higher end paint+primers from both big orange (Behr) and big blue (Valspar), and found that they cover very well in a single coat. <S> You may have to do a second touch-up coat; <S> especially where you've cut it with a brush, but they cover well in the first coat. <S> Otherwise you may be able to skip the primer. <A> I know this is an old post. <S> I painted homes for over 20 years and learned a trick that is often overlooked. <S> White primer is actually pretty close to a pure white. <S> This makes it very difficult to cover in one coat of any kind of paint. <S> Your father-in-law is correct in suggesting that you use a top quality paint to finish the job, but any top line name brand should suffice. <S> When you are faced with this issue, buy Zinsser oil primer. <S> Take it to the paint counter and have them put 1/2 of the formula for the finish paint into the primer and shake it for you. <S> Yes, they will argue with you until they are blue in the face about this or that. <S> However, the concept is not to match the primer with the finish coat, but to apply some of the pigments necessary to get a uniform color in a single finish coat. <S> Also, you should consider cutting in all of the edges twice before rolling. <S> At least do the top and bottom of the wall surface twice. <S> If the old color is going to show at all, it will show around the edges for sure. <S> You are going back with semi-gloss so touch up will not be an option or you will see a "flash" on the wall where you touched up. <S> When you do roll the walls, apply the paint in a "backroll" fashion. <S> I/ <S> E: <S> Dip your roller in the paint, roll the paint starting in the middle of the wall and go up and straight back down. <S> Then do the same thing 4 or five times in a row until you cover about 6' of wall space. <S> Then "dry roll" over the entire area of the thick paint. <S> Repeat this pattern until the room is complete. <S> Don't stop long enough to allow adjacent paint to dry or you will get a "flash" in the paint. <S> This process allows the wall to soak up the paint for a bit and when you back roll over it, the paint is thinned on the surface and dries faster. <S> I have used this trick numerous times and it works well.
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You want the paint to be applied very thick but not running. If you're doing any patching, or have new drywall or joint compound to cover, you'll want to use a primer first.
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how to carry 20ft lumbers to home I need to carry one 20 ft lumber from HomeDepot to my home. I don't have a truck but have a minivan (Odyssey). The minivan does not have a roof rack though. A friend of mine suggested that I could open the window of the front passenger seat and place the lumber diagonally, making it stick out the window. But, I am not sure about the method and haven't found anybody other than my friend who suggested this method. The HomeDepot is very close to my home (about 5 minutes local driving). If anybody has an experience of carrying long lumbers with a minivan, can you please share the tip? Thanks, EDIT: I attached the photo below. The first two beams are connected to the roof structure to support it. They are 18-feet 2x4. The third beam (shown in the bottom right corner of the picture) does not provide any support even though it looks so. <Q> The board will be angled outward, making your overall vehicle significantly wider than usual. <S> Worse, you will not be able to judge how far it sticks out. <S> Misjudge and someone gets killed. <S> Any extension past the rear bumper must be highlighted with a red warning flag attached to the rear end. <S> Also consider renting a truck from the big box store which charges a flat rate for a few hours. <A> If you can find one, consider buying from a more old-fashioned lumberyard or building center rather than HD - Delivery is available anywhere from "free" to a nominal charge from most such businesses. <S> Otherwise rent a long enough trailer, or a long enough truck (ie, U-Haul has trucks that will eat 20 foot lumber with nothing sticking out anywhere.) <S> Playing "stupid lumber tricks" with your car can get VERY expensive. <A> My local Home Depot and Lowes rent trucks for something like $20 for 2 hours. <S> I would look into that. <S> Which is way less than the insurance surcharges from the accident you are likely to cause with the mini-van. <S> As an alternative hang around the parking lot and look for someone with a trailer or a pick-up with a roof rack and ask them if they want to make $10 in five minutes by dropping it off for you. <A> 20 feet is way too long. <S> There's no way. <S> You'd get maybe 8 feet inside the van, and the other 12 feet will be flopping outside. <S> I don't even think I could do it with my E250 cargo van. <S> The longest piece of trim I carried on my roof rack was 16 feet, and it barely fit safely. <S> Your best bet is to cut it in half in the store and mend it when you get home. <S> Or, you can rent a 16 foot trailer or something.
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The HD rental truck would be convenient, but if it has not got adequate racks (the ones I've seen don't), it will still be a job to get 20 foot lumber tied to it, and it's often no cheaper than the U-Haul. Do NOT stick a board out your window! Why not simply put it on your roof and tie it down to the front and back bumpers (or better, the tow points under the bumpers).
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What size air conditioner for a ~230 square foot room with 10 foot ceilings? This will be my first time purchasing a window unit, and I'm a little confused. Most charts indicate that a 7,000 BTU unit is appropriate for a ~250 square foot room, however from what I can tell, these do not exist (only 6,000 and 8,000 BTUs are available). Also, none of the guides I see mention ceiling height, which I figured would be important (i.e. cubic footage seems more appropriate than square footage). Finally, many say that getting a unit that is too powerful actually won't cool as effectively, but don't really explain what this means exactly - if I put a 20,000 BTU unit in a 100 square foot room, would the room really be warmer than it would be with a 5,000 BTU unit? Or do they just mean that it would be overkill? Finally, some 6000 BTU units, like the GE AEL06LS say that they are only appropriate for 150 square foot rooms, and I don't understand why. Anyway, my room that is 233 square feet, with ~9.5 foot ceilings. Would it be best to get a 6000 BTU unit or a 8000 BTU unit? <Q> The EPA has room size to BTU chart with some caveats for certain situations: https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=roomac.pr_properly_sized Room size <S> A/C size <S> --------------- <S> ------------ <S> 100 up to 150 -> <S> 5,000 BTU/hr <S> 150 up to 250 -> <S> 6,000 BTU/hr 250 up to 300 -> 7,000 BTU/hr 300 up to 350 -> <S> 8,000 BTU/hr 350 up to 400 <S> -> <S> 9,000 BTU/hr 400 up to 450 <S> -> 10,000 BTU/hr 450 up to 550 -> 12,000 BTU/hr 550 up to 700 - <S> > 14,000 BTU/hr 700 up to 1,000 -> 18,000 BTU/hr1,000 up to 1,200 -> 21,000 BTU/hr1,200 up to 1,400 -> 23,000 BTU/hr1,400 up <S> to 1,500 -> 24,000 BTU/hr1,500 up to 2,000 -> 30,000 BTU/hr2,000 up to 2,500 -> 34,000 BTU/hr <S> Make any adjustments for the following circumstances: <S> If the room is heavily shaded, reduce capacity by 10 percent. <S> If the room is very sunny, increase capacity by 10 percent. <S> If more than two people regularly occupy the room, add 600 BTUs for each additional person. <S> If the unit is used in a kitchen, increase capacity by 4,000 BTUs. <S> Consider where you install the unit. <S> If you are mounting an air conditioner near the corner of a room, look for a unit that can send the airflow in the right direction. <S> If you fall into any of those special situations, that may help you with sizing. <A> Height doesn't matter because cold air sinks. <S> Regardless of the ceiling height, you only need to cool the bottom 6-7 feet. <A> On the topic of over sized a/c units, I'd like to add this. <S> I bought a 5 ton self contained a/c unit ( the whole unit is mounted on the outside wall with a hole for discharge above hole for return.) <S> I bought the unit for $500 and thought what the heck I'll give it a try. <S> WRONG!!!. <S> The a/c could cool the small room down to 65 degrees with in 9 minutes. <S> That sounds great but its not. <S> The unit wasn't running enough to pull the humidity out of the air. <S> Even though the room was 65 degrees, my skin felt sticky with the humidity still there. <S> The humidity in Louisiana is high during the summer. <S> I learned that its better for an a/c unit to be a little undersized than to be over sized. <A> And none of these "room size basis" metrics pay any attention to the question of "what is the insulation level" "how much solar heat gain is there" "what is the window area and insulation"... <S> since most consumers don't know - so they have handy rules of thumb... <S> Room height does not matter so much unless you are 9 feet tall. <S> Do you think (or have reason to believe) <S> the room is well insulated, or not? <S> Does it get absurdly hot from the sun on a regular basis, or not? <S> If well insulated and not a solar oven, go 5-6,000; if poorly insulated, go 8,000; if a solar oven, go 8,000. <S> Don't go 12,000 unless it's terribly insulated AND <S> a solar oven... <S> One problem with oversizing is poor dehumidification. <S> @statueuphemism's comment has a good handle on the other.
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Otherwise, since you're between sizes of available units, unless your climate is particularly mild, I'd go up a size to allow a bit extra cooling capacity for hot days.
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G to C trick not working for cooling. Honeywell RTH9080WF My electric furnace has no c terminal. Furnace is heat & cool both. (Lennox Electric Fan coil Model CBS18-21-3P). I installed Honeywell RTH9080WF.I switched G to C on my thermostat and got the power. Furnace has no C Terminal. The connections on furnace is "R" "W" "G" "Y" Further on my thermostat I chose "fan controlled by heat pump" and it worked. Heating worked for the whole season. In summers I switched to cooling and found that compressor is coming up but fan is not. Fan comes up with heating but does not work with compressor. Kindly advice how to fix this problem. <Q> Your original wiring looked like this, where the top circles represent the thermostat terminals and the bottom the furnace. <S> You then have to determine which leg feeds R , and which does not. <S> The leg that does not feed R , will be where you connect your new C wire. <S> Once you have all that hooked up, then you'll install a jumper between the Y and G terminals in the furnace. <S> Once all that is completed, you'll have to make sure the motor is spinning at the correct speed when in cooling mode. <S> If it's not, you'll end up with inefficient cooling. <S> Which can cause poor performance, and/or damage to the system. <A> Most control boards need to have both Y and G energized, before the blower will come on in COOL mode. <S> Did you install a jumper between the Y and G terminals in the furnace? <S> Did you move the wire that used to be G in the furnace, or is it still connected to the G terminal in the furnace? <S> If you left the bootleg C wire on the G terminal in the furnace, you'll have to move it to the correct location. <A> Make sure your w terminal doesn't have the fan wire going to it. <S> Only thing on w at furnace should be tstat w. Ran into this where technician wired the blower off w terminal. <S> If there's a stranded wire at w terminal move it to g <A> Here's a diagram that might help. <S> So you have two "old" wires with an "Add-a-wire" in order to control a furnace/ac set up with a Wifi Thermostat, but will have NO Fan Only option (unless you find a way to run a separate wire from G on Control to G on t-stat).
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To properly pull off the " G wire trick ", you have to locate the transformer in the furnace.
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Turn Lights On/Off Without Having to Hit 3 Switches in One Room I just moved into a new place and I'm having an interesting lighting problem in one of my rooms. I've looked at a few things on the internet, but my lack of experience in this matter makes me feel intimidated by potential solutions. There are multiple ceiling lights throughout the room and there's a single switch at the entrance, another at a wall, and yet another at a different wall. If I want to turn all of the lights on or off in this particular room, I need to walk around the whole room and flick each switch. I am anticipating getting very annoyed with this. What I would like to do is have ONE panel at the entrance that will allow me to turn ALL of the lights on or off at once; no walking around the room. I'm about to buy new light fixtures/bulbs to replace the old ones in the ceiling. Any solution to my issue could potentially involve some sort of smart fixture as well. However, I'm looking for a solution that is relatively inexpensive but still elegant. Please see my diagrams below to help you understand what the current situation is versus what I would like it to be. This is the current setup: This is what I would like it to be: Ideally, I'd like a solution that allows me to control each light or light "section/circuit" individually. I think being able to dim the different portions of the room would be great. Additionally, being able to remotely control the different sections would be useful. However, I could live with control from one panel and nothing fancy. Your suggestions and expertise are greatly appreciated. <Q> In my experience, Lutron Pico/Maestro line of remote switches work very well and aesthetically very pleasing. <S> I would not use nor recommend any other. <S> In my area Home Depot sells them in white. <S> For more colors choices you'd need to go through an authorized dealer i.e. a lighting design center or search the internet for availability. <A> How difficult or expensive it might be would vary with details not provided, but simply rewiring all the lights on to one switch (or all onto one switch panel, multiple switches) is possible with normal switches and wire. <S> On the other hand, I've become a lot less worried about minmizing number of lights on since the vast majority of mine are drawing 10 watts or less each, and therefore cost me 0.15 cents per hour each to operate; I'm fine with operating larger groups at once, at that sort of operational cost. <S> For a penny an hour (7 x 10W or less LEDs) I'd put them all on one switch or dimmer; but you may want different lighting options with more switches/dimmers - so long as you don't mind paying for them and use dimmers that don't require more fixtures than you want each to control <S> (I think the ones I have currently need 4 fixtures in LED for a minimum load) that's entirely up to you. <A> IF you can get to the wiring (accessible ceiling or floor wiring) then it would be trivially easy to change to the desired arrangement. <S> An option is to put light operated switches in ONE EACH of the blue and red units and arrange for them to be operated by light from one of the green fixtures. <S> Various remote operated systems are possible but these will be well enough covered by other answers.
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Simple switches do have the advantage of not having any "minimum load" as the dimmers (and some electronic switches) often do.
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What could cause my range burner to be bright red and really hot when the dial is set to low? On one front burner I have a big problem. I turn it on medium high until my water (or whatever) comes to a boil -- then, I turn it down to low heat (apx #2) -- and then many times, I look at it and the burner is bright red with an extremely high heat even though the dial is on low heat. What could be causing this? Kenmore electric range model 911.93614010 <Q> IME, Most electric stoves rely on duty cycles to adjust the heat of a burner. <S> They do not alter the "flow" of heat like a gas stove. <S> The burner is either producing heat, or it is not. <S> If you watch it long enough, I bet you could even time the patterns of the different temperature settings. <S> I would call the manufacturer and see if there are any known issues, defects or recalls. <S> Otherwise, I'd chalk this up to it's normal mode of operation. <A> This is not normal. <S> Telling people this is normal is dangerous and may lead to a fire. <S> I understand the temperature cycling process. <S> The burner can only be on or off. <S> The temperature control turns the burner on or off more or less frequently to keep it at the desired temperature. <S> However, this mechanism can fail and the burner will turn on and not cycle off like it is supposed to. <S> I have seen two stoves, built since 2000, where the burner control fails closed, not open. <S> The problem: The control is set to a low or medium heat <S> , the burner goes red hot, stays red hot and does not turn off until the control knob is turned off or moved. <S> Solution: <S> On certain models an entire control board may need to be replaced. <A> Guessing: <S> Sounds like the control for that element is dead and needs to be replaced. <S> Traditional electric ranges use a simple thermostatic timer mechanism to cycle the heating element on and off at varying speeds to control the heat output. <S> The contacts can get stuck, or the timers heater may fail, leaving the element on continuously. <S> It's faster and easier to swap in a new control module than to try to repair the existing one, and the component isn't very expensive. <S> If your stove has electronic controls, the equivalent repair would be a considetably bigger and more expensive problem.
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The burner temperature control knob on the stove is defective and needs to be replaced.
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How can I fill in the gap between my chain-link fence and its gate We have a couple of gates in our chain-link fence and bunnies and large rodents like to squeeze through them. I would like to fill the gap somehow so the gates are still usable and look halfway decent. Here are a couple of pics of the gate. The gaps are about 5 inches wide. <Q> If you don't care about how it looks, a piece of plywood or other rigid material mounted to the gate would bridge the gap. <S> You could attach it to the vertical part of the gate using a variety of types of u-bolts/brackets. <S> Otherwise the easiest thing is to replace the gate with a wider one. <A> Use a chainlink "terminal post" the appropriate diameter and length and attach it to the existing posts using a zip-tie or ideally a chainlink "brace band." <S> I got the idea from watching this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GulJ53J-nYs <A> I had the same problem at my house and my dog always got out of that gap in my chain link fence. <S> What I did to solve the problem was put in a little bit of chicken wire. <S> It doesn't look that great either, but I thought it looked better than a piece of plywood. <S> Hope this helps. <A> For top picture: The cheap solution is to buy a new cross bar for the left side of the gate. <S> Buy one size longer than what you have. <S> Cut to size. <S> Splice the existing cross wood by one picket and extend the chain-link accordingly. <S> In theory, you can reuse the bolts and ties. <S> The ordeal is a pain but not that hard or expensive. <S> I'd say less than a day and less than $100 if you DIY.
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Another alternative is to move the posts to reduce the gap on the existing gate but this requires installing posts and replacing the section of fence.
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How do I extend a 2x4 by connecting another one end to end? My hardware store only sells 8' cuts of 2x4s. How do I extend length horizontally with another 2x4 and support the joining best? Is there a joint or strong tie for this? I have three support legs spaced every 66". Should I just ensure all extensions occur on a support leg or can they be done elsewhere? This is for a simple workbench I am trying to build in my garage. I have no clue what I'm doing but a table seems like it should be an attainable goal to build. I can't find plans for anything longer than 8", which assumes one long board. I need one longer. How do I join them to extend length? What are strategies, hardware, etc.? <Q> Why not simply construct a series of 8' long workbenches? <S> This will give you more flexibility later on, if you need to deploy them differently (e.g. in an "L" shape instead of end-to-end. <S> HTH. <A> 8' benches are worth considering for a couple of reasons: the sheet goods you use on top will be that length. <S> You'll get a slightly shorter span between legs, which will lead to more stiffness. <S> That said, if you need 132", there are a few options: find a better lumber supplier. <S> (Don't know where you are, but you should be able to find a lumberyard nearby.) <S> double the 2x4s. <S> So the front will have 2-2x4s at 66"; put a 2x4 behind that butt joint <S> (no plates/nothing else special) with 4' on each side. <S> Put a leg under the 66" mark. <S> (Don't worry about filling in the 18" gap on each end of the back 2x4, unless it upsets your sense of symmetry.) <S> Screw the 2x4s solidly together. <S> for the top <S> if you use sheet goods, you'll need 2 sheets. <S> be sure to support the seam with a couple of 2x4s placed upright. <A> If you want it to be strong, the simplest way to extend a board is to sister it with other boards. <S> For example, rather than using a 2x4, you could use layered 1x4's, with the breaks between boards in each layer offset from each other, laminated together with screws every foot and/or glue. <A> Why cant you put a support in where the two 2x4's meet, add a steel T to the support then screw each 2x4 to the T. <S> This makes the support the main focus and provides needed strength
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There are "glue joint" techniques for splicing boards end to end, but they're more complicated, waste some wood, and really require fancier equipment to do properly.
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How could our sliding mirror doors have cracked so easily? I purchased and installed a set of sliding mirror doors 2 weeks ago. In the space of two weeks all four of the doors have developed cracks in them. A couple of them are at least a foot long. I have not been abusing them excessively. The one crack I was aware of causing was when I did open a door a little bit too hard and it caused it to knock into the adjacent door. Surely the doors should be built to withstand a little bit of a knock. I can think of two possibilities - either I have installed thew in such an incorrect way that means they are incredibly fragile, or the doors are of very poor build quality. I did follow the instructions to the letter. Before ranting at the manufacturer - is it possible that I have just missed something obvious when installing that could have caused them to crack so easily? Edit I forgot to add a conclusion. I contacted the manufacturers and they said they had never seen their doors crack so easily before. Without any argument they replaced the doors straight away. The replacements are still going strong without a crack > 6 months later. <Q> There are things people have missed telling you about that can damage a mirror. <S> Such as rapid temperature changes which will crack or even break most glass. <S> Is the glass near a heating vent? <S> Is it near a window? <S> Is there outside air infiltration/drafts? <S> Is it in full sunlight? <S> Things leaned against the mirror hot or cold? <S> Also sound can crack glass. <S> Things like stereos, TV's, etc. <S> if too loud or too close to glass could be a problem. <S> Also sound you can't hear such as ultrasonic bug repellers, ultrasonic dog training devices, aircraft noise(Both sonic and ultrasonic here.) <S> , minor earth quakes(Subsonic vibrations), etc. <S> And in theory you could even see electromagnetic/electrostatic/piezoelectric effects from high voltage power lines, induction cooking devices, damaged microwave ovens, radar, etc. <S> which could damage a mirror because of the metallic coating on it. <S> Anyway there are lots of other ways to damage a mirror besides just breakage, or torsional stress. <S> You should check for other things in and around your home to make sure you don't end up with another broken mirror. <A> The main problem is that the energy that is stored when you open and close the doors are delivered direct to the mirror and the frames, cracking the glass or the wood. <S> Check to see if your installation was done properly. <S> Also, if you don't want to go through problems with the manufacturer, you can try to do some wood work and reforce the frames. <S> Try not to hit the sliding dors when opending and closing them. <S> Hope it helps! <A> That coupled with the shock of hitting the wall may cause a crack. <S> Sounds <S> like you've one nice door hardware company that replaces stuff at the drop of a hat. <S> Or, could this be an admission of guilt? <S> " <S> It happens all the time. <S> Here's another customer with that same problem. <S> Let's replace." <S> Cheapest product is not always the best. <S> Pay more, get more.
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If the doors are not installed in a plumb position, ie have a twist to them with one side plumb and the other side not plumb, this may cause a tension on the glass.
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How should a switch loop be wired? I encountered this apparently simple situation recently. The issue is that it seems no matter how you wire it, you'll always end up with a black connected to white, which seems wrong. How should this simple light fixture controlled by a switch be properly wired? <Q> Why do you consider a black to a white wrong?? <S> The whole "black-to-black, white-to-white" is a wives tale and myth. <S> What you have is a switch loop, and is VERY common, especially in 50's and 60's homes. <S> This is the neutral. <S> The black from the panel goes to the white from the switch. <S> This is the feed. <S> The black from the switch goes to the black from the fixture. <S> This is the switched hot. <S> Modern codes do require that the white to the switch get re-marked with a hot color (typically black, red or blue) with a permanent method such as paint, a permanent marker or even tape. <A> You are entirely reasonable to expect color-coding. <S> I couldn't work without it, I'll say why at the end. <S> Use tape to code by function <S> But a switch circuit has a third wire function , called switched-hot . <S> Which color should switched-hot be? <S> Think about it: <S> Why do you use only black and white? <S> Because you are using NM cable, and that's how it's sold. <S> Neutral must be white, because Code requires this. <S> Most places, black is always-hot , so you might as well stay with that. <S> Code now forces you to use /3 <S> cable for switch loops, and the third wire is red. <S> So it makes a world of sense to use red for switched-hot. <S> So, voila . <S> That was easy. <S> Black to black. <S> White to white. <S> Red to red. <S> Done. <S> The other color-code I use is yellow for travelers in 3-way switches. <S> (Both since there is no need to distinguish them from each other.) <S> 3-ways are a nightmare if you don't do this, but if you do, it's easy. <S> Two yellows in the same cable - guaranteed to be travelers. <S> I also use blue for "alt" switched-hot or for second set of 3-way travelers. <S> "Why? <S> You can't figure out a simple switch loop, Harper? <S> " <S> Yes. <S> Because it makes things really simple and easy to maintain . <S> Here's an example of two switch loops, how hard can that be, right ? <S> Here is the color coding. <S> Circuit 1: <S> H black, N white, Switched brown. <S> Circuit 2: <S> H red, <S> N gray, Switched yellow. <S> Circuit 3: <S> H blue, N white-blue. <S> LR= <S> Lighting Receptacle (blue is unswitched). <S> Switches up top, more switched outlets below. <S> There are 7 wire-nuts in this box. <S> Yet still, easy to maintain: as above, white to white, gray to gray, yellow to yellow. <A> Technically, the wire loop if you think about it is actually one wire with two different colors. <S> It has no resistance in the branch circuit. <S> It only serves to make and break the circuit. <S> Today's code says a neutral must also be present at every switch box even though it is not being used. <S> There are a couple exceptions to this but none the less, required. <S> This is a good reason why we are required to tape the white as a different color so as not to confuse it as a neutral. <S> In the good old days instead of switching the live conductor, the neutral was switched. <S> This is not safe and is taught to never be done. <A> One way to wire it is to add a (red) wire from the junction to the switch. <S> Then pigtail all whites together. <S> Connect black from breaker to black from switch. <S> The connect red from switch to black to light. <S> This results in a available neutral connection at the switch you can use later for a timer or other automation gadget. <A> If the power runs from the panel to the switch first, there is no need to use white for the switch leg. <S> Merely splice the neutral through and switch the black.
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In the switch you cap off the white and connect black an red to be switched. The white from the panel goes to the white from the fixture. Use tape to mark wires to a different color.
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Paint adherence on fiberglass door. Does it need time to 'cure'? Can I top-coat it? We bought this door: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Feather-River-Doors-6-Lite-Clear-Craftsman-Unfinished-Smooth-Fiberglass-Prehung-Front-Door-GK3191/204487447?N=5yc1vZas82Z7cm I've primed it using Zinsser and then gave it 2 coats of Behr Marquee Exterior. Looks great. Alas, 24 hours later, I can take my fingernail and scrape of the paint. It's been a bit humid/rainy. Do I just need to give it more time for the paint to fully harden? Or did I do something wrong with this fiberglass door? UPDATE: Another day and the problem remains. I can confirm it's the paint. The paint can be scraped off with a fingernail, but the primer stays. I'll give it another day or so (it's been humid) and hopefully it fully 'cures'. But if not, do I have options short of stripping the entire door? Is there any sort of top-coat I could apply to give it a stronger surface? <Q> I have lots of questions! <S> Is the door installed in place? <S> If so, is there a storm or screen door? <S> Did you paint both inside and outside surfaces? <S> If so: Did you use the same paint on both? <S> Are they both experiencing the same problems? <S> If there is a glass storm/screen door in front of the door, this could lead to problems with paint on the outside where the paint is trapped between the door and the glass. <S> If you could answer these questions in your question or as a comment, I can provide a more targeted response. <S> This paint has a 4 week cure time and should will take longer to set if applied in higher than 60-70% humidity. <S> For expert advice, you may consult with a BEHR Certified Coatings Professional, call 1-800-854-0133 Ext. <S> 2 in the US. <A> Paint pealing off is usually a sign that you have layered an oil based paint over a water based paint or primer. <S> A good sign that this has happened is if it peels of in strips. <S> If the paint is chalky, or just scrapes off than this may be the case. <S> You can strengthen a a layer of bad paint by using a peel stop and strengthening product such as Zinsser Peel Stop . <S> This may solve your problem. <A> I am a painting contractor. <S> Do not try to scrape anything off with your fingernail until it is fully cured. <S> This is something all the wannabe or new painting contractors run into... <S> and they are so naive they want to blame somebody before the paint is even cured. <A> This is my experience with fiberglass painting and staining; <S> I work for Epic Doors which manufactures high-performance fiberglass entry doors. <S> We evaluated several paint suppliers including TruCoat 623, Sherwin Williams Polane 2K Acrylic, and Aquasurtech D200. <S> We were looking for an environmentally friendly, single component water based paint that was super durable, had great adhesion and laid down smooth. <S> Based upon our evaluation we selected TruCoat 623. <S> It was much more environmentally friendly than Polane 2K and is a single component and TruCoat had better adhesion than D200 and was priced better.
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Your paint may also have gone bad before you bought it, if it was not properly stored for instance, it may alternatively have been mixed with the wrong dyes (using an oil based dye on water based paints can do this), and various other reasons.
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Can I temporarily remove the bottom stairs on a staircase to help move furniture? I just moved into a new place and really want to move my awesomely large (and somewhat expensive) sofa into the basement. The problem is that the stairs end in narrow hallway running perpendicular to the stairwell: There is not enough room to get the sofa down the stairs and around the corner to the right without modifying the structure: I'm wondering if it's (a) possible and (b) not entirely stupid to temporarily remove the bottom stairs and carpet cover to accommodate the size of the sofa: The crawlspace floor is directly below the stairs, so I can access them from underneath if necessary. I'm also open to other suggestions. The only other entrance into the basement is through a window that is too small for the sofa. Update: Here is a picture of the underside of the stairs: <Q> They are what is know to me as "housed stringers" the sides, have notches cut into them to allow the treads to set in the notches. <S> The small vertical pieces in the corners are wedges driven in with glue to snug everything up tight to reduce or eliminate squeaks. <S> To remove the treads, you would need to cut out the treads, and install new ones... <S> Not what you may want to read, but it is what it would take. <A> I would echo the responses above, that modifying a wall would be easier/better than modifying the stairs. <S> Based on your drawings, you'd have to chop out about half of the staircase - a major effort. <S> Other thoughts: look into disassembling/reassembling sofa instead of house. <S> look into completely pulling the staircase (instead of taking it apart), and putting it back as a whole unit. <S> (also a major effort) look into pulling out one of the walls to the side of the staircase. <S> You could replace with a post+beam instead of a new wall and have a more open feel in the basement afterwards. <S> Find a new sofa. <A> Yes, of course, but at what cost? <S> It is probably easier to go through the wall at the bottom of the stairs in the unlikely event <S> it is not load bearing. <S> Either way, seems like a lot of work for a couch.
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Staircases like that one are built as a unit, then dropped into their place between floors, so breaking them up into pieces and reassembling in place would be a real pain. For what its worth, if there were no glue involved, the wedges could be removed, the nails pulled and the treads could be pulled out of the slots from the underside, if there are no nails in from the sides covered by the walls.
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Concrete driveway in New England? I need a new driveway and I was wondering if my only option is asphalt?I'm in Connecticut - does anyone know if I can have concrete driveway? <Q> Sure you can have one, no one is going to arrest you for putting it in. <S> However, concrete has a few distinct disadvantages in the north, most notably it is brittle so any heaving caused by freeze/thaw cycles will cause large cracks and there chances of a lip developing (a trip hazard unless ground down) are high. <S> The only way to prevent this is to make the driveway and gravel underlay very thick ( <S> which costs more) to reduce the amount of frozen soil below it. <S> Also, regular thawing salt (potassium chloride) is bad for common unsealed concrete. <S> You need to use Magnesium chloride (which costs more) to prevent damage to the surface. <S> Here is a good article that discusses more pros/cons: http://www.silive.com/homegarden/homeimprovement/index.ssf/2010/04/asphalt_vs_concrete_driveways.html <A> For both types of materials, subsurface preparation and drainage are critical and are similar. <S> Concrete will be more expensive both because there are fewer people that do it, it involves more work because forms must be built, and the material is more expensive. <A> If built correctly, an asphalt driveway should last nearly as long as one paved with concrete. <S> Concrete driveways are durable, but they are subject to frost heaves. <S> They also need to have regular control joints added which can lead to substantial cracks appearing that are big enough to have weeds grow in. <S> The look of a concrete drive can basically be ruined from these cracks, especially if it is stamped concrete that is meant to look like natural stone. <S> Another alternative would be to have a paver driveway. <S> There are many options available with pavers and they can be formed to almost any shaped driveway. <S> The good thing about them in the north is that they can be replaced or reset if one is damaged or has moved and you would never know that there was any damage done. <S> Your neighbors most likely won't have one as well and it will make your property stand out. <A> Have you considered pavers as an alternative to concrete or asphalt? <S> Pavers come in a variety of colors, shapes and thicknesses/weights. <S> Some pavers are specifically suited for driveways and can handle high pounds per square inch. <S> Note that not all regions in the United States have the same paver types and colors available, as raw materials used for their regional manufacture vary. <S> I used Pavestone products for our Las Vegas home, both for the additional side driveway to a new side gate , as well as for our patio areas (see photos). <S> Pavestone has a regional catalog for Boston that you can review. <S> Other paver providers will likely have regional catalogs as well.
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Concrete will provide a much better, long-lasting driveway, if it is properly built.
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Can I plug a multi-outlet adapter into a GFCI outlet? I have a GFCI outlet in my kitchen where I would like to plug in more than two things. I was thinking I could just add a multi-outlet adapter to one of the outlets, or maybe a short 1->3 plug extension cord for my purposes. I'm assuming this is probably frowned upon, but would it be functional? Specifically right now in the GFCI outlet we have a bottle warmer plugged in; I would like to add to it a small fish take filter, LED light, and a fish tank heater. <Q> However, I would advise you to stay away from this kind of multi outlet adapter, since it might cover the GFCI buttons making it harder to test and reset: <A> I suggest a side outlet tap such as the following product. <S> Unlike the previous answer that suggested a six outlet cover with the screw in the middle, the project I provide below would actually fit into a Decora-style receptacle (outlet) such as a GFCI. <S> The GFCI protection would extend to the devices that are connected. <A> The distance between the 2 sockets of a GFCI outlet are different then for a plain outlet, so a multi-plug adaptor won't fit. <A> Legal in your house. <S> Not a business. <S> Is it safe? <S> Not necessarily. <S> That's considered temporary. <S> Has nothing to do with common sense as someone put as an answer. <S> You are changing the design of the electrical engineer's plan. <S> If he wanted six outlets there, <S> he/she would have designed six there. <S> You decide to plug in two heaters, it's melting and GFC is a false security. <S> Extension cords in a business are not legal because it's temporary use only. <S> That means unplugged and wound up. <S> Christmas tree lights are not an exception. <S> Fire inspector... <A> GFCI outlets (and breakers) are required to be tested monthly. <S> Not everyone does that, but nonetheless, it is a requirement if you read the instructions that came with them. <S> So covering the Test and Reset buttons with an adapter will become a burdensome step, likely leading to the tests NOT being performed as required. <S> Out of sight, out of mind. <S> I use a power strip. <S> Yes, it can get wet on a kitchen counter, but... it's plugged into a GFCI! <S> Also; yes, there are NEWER requirements for spacing of receptacles that might make this unnecessary, but that was not always the case. <S> In my house built in 1910, there was only one receptacle for 15 linear feet of counter space.
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You can absolutely plug in an extension cord to the GFCI outlet, and as long as the GFCI outlet was wired correctly, the GFCI protection extends to all the devices plugged into it.
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How to extend Sump Pump discharge pipe from house My house's sump pump discharge pipe exit's the house a couple of feet high from the ground and runs straight down. I don't want it dumping right next to the house (kid's sandbox is there now) so I was thinking of adding a 90 degree elbow and running it to a different spot away from the sandbox. I'd rather not discharge the water right next to the foundation, but I also don't want to extend the pipe into the yard where the kids could trip over it (nor do I want to mow around it). Any ideas on how to discharge away from the foundation without being a hazard? <Q> When i installed a sump pump in my previous house, to add a sink into the basement, I had it pump up as high as it could, on about a 45 degree angle, then let it run down with the help of gravity to where i want it to discharge. <A> Bury black corrugated landacape drain beneath your sump discharge. <S> Use solid drain to get some distance from your house. <S> Then use the perforated version surrounded by gravel to give the water somewhere to go. <S> I did this and also ran it past one of my downspouts, so that both of them are concealed below grade now. <S> Or you can daylight it if the land slopes down as you get away from your house, or discharge it into an underground pit of gravel, or a storm sewer, or rain barel or whathot.... <S> If your climate includes times of year when its below freezing outside, its worth keeping the rigid PVC section of the discharge as short and close to the house as possible. <S> Better for the drain grate to ice over and get ice on the ground than for the pvc to freeze up internally, shatter, and burn out your pump. <A> I brought mine out to a fitting onto which I've clamped a length of 2" flex hose; that goes under my rainbarrel platform and along the property line to about 20' from the house. <S> The right answer would be to then run it into a drywell, but... <S> My setup does have that risk but <S> less so, I think. <S> A sump pump might or might not be able to feed into that...
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It isn't uncommon for folks to install permanent catch pipes for their rain gutters, to route them away from the house. I suppose one could bury piping, but then you'd have to worry about freezing.
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Retrofitting a remote opener into a garage-gate motor Our garage door is already powered, but to initiate the opening (and closing) of the gate, one must get inside the garage and push one of the three buttons: Open Close Stop How hard would it be to retrofit a remote there -- to either replace the existing three-button "console" or complement it? Ideally, the addition will be usable with one of the three remote buttons in our cars... Are there ready-products or kits, that someone reasonably comfortable with wiring in general can install in a matter of hours? Illustrations The buttons panel: With cover on: With cover removed: The actual motor (by Westinghouse): The controlling unit next to the motor With cover on (you can see the motor's side on the picture). The circular seal on the front claims membership in DORCMA , which, apparently, is now part of DASMA . With cover removed -- no schematics inside, unfortunately: The voltages between the photographed wires are thus: Yellow and Red: 27.63V (AC) with the gate closed, 4.88V with the gate open Yellow and White: 3.85V (AC) with the gate closed, 27.93V with the gate open Yellow and Blue: 0 regardless of the gate's position <Q> In honesty retrofitting a remote into a very old system is not always the best method. <S> Replacement of the gate opener system in whole provides for more options. <S> I would assume since it was not shown that you do not have as-built wiring diagrams of this current system. <S> With out diagrams it will require testing and and a new diagram made to retrofit a new control properly. <S> Once a wiring diagram exists then based on what is shown options from commercial sources to do-it-yourself controllers exist. <S> I am building a remote gate controller WIFI based with IPhone control Iphone control using an Arduino. <S> It is a simple remote control relay setup. <S> Another is a simple relay control working via web Web control that could act as switches in place of the buttons. <S> and can be controlled by web page n a smart phone. <S> Several companies make commercial versions of smart phone controllers. <S> Some designed to work on the 433Mhz remote control type garage openers common in newer vehicles. <S> According to documentation HOMELINK is 310Mhz. <S> If the wiring in this image matches what you have installed, then three relays could be wired in parallel to the switches once the control voltage is determined. <S> These could be controlled then by older HOMELINK relay controller types, finding the best HOMELINK relay controller for three devices is the hard part. <S> I know the X10 system made a standalone relay driver control, single relay. <S> As well there are single relay receivers on the 315Mhz frequency <S> but if they will react to the HOMELINK controls is not clear. <S> Another option is to make a bridge to a newer controller using some thing like X10 to INSTEON converter <S> This may offer ability to convert X10 to control a Insteon switch. <S> Three switches wired in parallel across you manual push buttons, if buttons need more current or higher voltage then a relay board is offered. <S> If they are AC 115 then a appliance control could be substituted. <S> Smartenit EZX10RF INSTEON / X10 RF Wireless Sensor Receiver I/O Linc™ – <S> INSTEON® <S> Low Voltage/Contact ClosureInterface ( <S> 1 In/1 Out)Model: 2450 <A> I would do this by adding a universal garage door receiver to simulate pressing each button in your existing hardwired controller. <S> The big question is if the existing buttons are low (12~24V) or mains (120~240V) voltage, and how you can hook into them. <S> You basically need a "universal garage door receiver" that's designed to interface modern wireless controls to an old garage door opener. <S> These units are available from various manufacturers (be sure to check compatibility with your in-car buttons which are likely HomeLink ). <S> You'll need either two or three receivers (depending on if you want to press the "stop" button). <S> Low-voltage control <S> This might be just a matter of hooking a wire onto a terminal, or it might require soldering a connection to a circuit board. <S> You'd have to post a picture with internal details. <S> For any run within a few dozen feet, you could use 22AWG wire (eg, phone or security system control wire). <S> Mains-voltage control <S> If your button control is mains voltage, it complicates the project quite a bit -- unless you can find a universal receiver with a relay output that specifically can handle mains (I couldn't). <S> You'd had to use relays to have a low-voltage signal for the wireless receivers, then let the relays control the mains power. <S> I'd personally probably convert the existing button control to also be low voltage (control the relays) while I was at it. <S> I can post details about how to do this, but really the most 'difficult' part is just mounting everything in a safe way (proper-rated enclosures, relays, and wiring a panel safely), and since it's complex to explain all that <S> and I don't even know if your control is even mains voltage, I won't type all that out now. <A> You need a 3 channel remote control [you can find on ebay].You will need to wire the receiver to an adapter, and its output to a rated relay for every button. <S> You will now need to tap into the switch using the existing relay terminal. <S> You now have to mark your remote control, and use it like you use the buttons. <S> Make sure to keep the buttons intact (just tap in them, dont replace them) in case of emergencies. <A> Be aware of safety issues. <S> Does your close button require being held down? <S> If so with a wireless option you may need similar and not a latching contact. <S> You have to be very cautious if able to operate the door remotely without being able to see obstructions. <S> It may not be possible with your current setup or may require additional parts or modification. <S> More modern units typically detect impact so can be a bit more difficult with old doors that don't move freely, however it is a valuable safety feature. <S> PE beams are also definitely a good idea as well that will stop or raise the door on an obstruction.
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If your existing hardwired button controller is low voltage, then open it, and wire the control terminals of each receiver in parallel with each push button. The issue is that it is fairly common that old door motors if closing unattended have the capability to cause injury or death to people or animals or cause property damage.
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How to choose the correct all purpose screw driver or drill I am a widow and starting out in the world of DIY. I tried replacing several broken trellis panel fencing last year. I bought a 7.2V Bosch drill and used 3in screws to hold the panels onto the wooden posts. The screws did not penetrate all the way and have been left protruding. I wish to smarten up the unfinished job! Did I need a stronger Drill? What type of drill would be advisable for small and larger jobs? <Q> Most low voltage drills are targeted toward hobbiests than anyone else, and a 7.2V drill is likely not going to be much use for driving screws. <S> It will likely do fine for drilling holes, but there is generally a pretty strong relationship between voltage and torque. <S> If this is something you'll be doing enough to justify the purchase, I'd look for something 14V and higher from a reputable manufacturer (Bosch, Dewalt, Makita, and Milwaukee spring to mind). <S> Avoid the cheap store brands or cheap imports (I'm looking at you, Harbor Freight), and read some reviews from websites or magazines that are aimed at contractors <S> (I usually start at FineHomebuilding - they do a ton of tool reviews). <S> Finally, keep in mind that the majority of what you are paying for are the battery packs. <S> This means that you can generally get better deals on tool combo sets than individual tools because they'll share batteries. <S> BTW, on your protruding screws you'll want to back them out about a quarter inch before setting them the rest of the way - it's easier if the driver isn't at full torque when you start. <A> Did I need a stronger Drill? <S> Perhaps not, often you can just lubricate the screws before driving them. <S> People suggest soap, I've sometimes dipped screws in a light grease (which can leave marks on the wood). <S> This really makes a huge difference. <S> Another alternative is to drill small pilot holes before inserting the screws. <S> The width of the drill needs to be less than the full width of the screw threads. <S> If you are driving a lot of screws and wish to avoid these extra steps, I'd buy a stronger drill/driver. <S> What type of drill would be advisable <S> You might own a Bosch 7.2V screwdriver (model PSR7.2-LI) that has a torque (turning strength) of 6 or 10 Nm. <S> A 10.8V <S> Bosch GSR <S> 10,8 V-EC HX has a torque of 20 or 18 Nm. <S> A 14.4 V PSR 1440LI-2 has a torque of 17 or 34 Nm. <S> (The two ratings are usually for hard and soft materials) <S> Usually this is associated with a higher voltage rating (for battery powered tools). <S> Bosch always provide torque ratings for this type of tool. <S> Remember that higher voltage tools are usually bulkier and heavier. <S> smaller tools are often more convenient in confined spaces and less tiring for extended use. <S> It is usually advisable to buy a driver with an adjustable clutch (a turnable ring with numbers) that allows you to reduce the torque to avoid driving the screws too deeply (or from damaging the screws). <S> Not all electric screwdrivers have this as standard but most do. <S> Emma's answer lists the basic types of tool available for this task. <S> You don't need to drill into masonry so it is useful to distinguish between an axial hammer-action drill (mainly for masonry, but not especially good at that unless you buy a mains-powered or SDS-plus drill) and a rotary impact driver (advertised as good for driving screws into wood). <S> See When would one use an impact driver versus a regular drill? <A> Hammer Drill: good for drilling holes in masonry and stone. <S> Percussion Drill: good for use with screw-driving jobs into metal and wood. <S> It ensures the best performance. <S> Drill Driver: good for drill setting for boring holes, or the driver setting for loosening screws. <S> Powered Screwdrive: good for easy handling. <S> According to your convenience use any of above. <A> The low voltage drills like the one you have are mostly good as a powered screwdriver for assembling flat pack furniture. <S> This type of application usually already has a pilot hole drilled, so the drill doesn't have to work to displace material as it drives the screw. <S> The key performance parameter that your drill is lacking is a high enough maximum torque. <S> For a short term, low cost solution (if you don't want to spend a bunch of money up front), you could try drilling a pilot hole for the screws. <S> The pilot hole should be about the same diameter as the shank of the screw. <S> If you want an exact size reference, you can use a pilot hole screw chart and look up the size of screw you're using: ( Source ) <S> If that doesn't work, you may have to buy a new drill. <S> The newer 12V lithium ion drills are surprisingly powerful for their size, and are still rather affordable for homeowner uses. <S> Comintern lists some good brands, but I'd also encourage you to look at Ridgid, a manufacturer who makes a good product at a slightly lower price point. <S> This 12V drill packs a whopping 350 in-lbs of torque, compared to the 60-100 in-lbs your 7.2 drill likely has. <S> (Note that it only comes with one battery, so you'll have to wait for it to charge when it runs out.) <S> If you're going to be doing a lot of drilling and screw driving, you could look into a combo pack as well. <S> This Makita set comes with an impact driver (800 in-lbs of torque) and a drill (200 in-lbs of torque). <S> The impact driver will be able to drive screws much faster, and in much tougher material than the drill will be able to. <S> This kit comes with two batteries as well, so you won't have to pause work while waiting for one to charge.
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You could buy a tool with a higher torque rating.
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How to override an attic thermostat with a wall switch? I want to install a fan in my attic. I want the fan to be controlled by a thermostat in the attic, but I want the ability to bypass or override the fan from within my house. Ideally I would like to have a two-state switch in the house: Fan is controlled by thermostat Fan is on I'm trying to figure out what type of thermostat (do they make them with bypasses built in?) and switch (numbers of poles and throws?) to buy. A wiring diagram would be helpful, but I haven't been able to find one. (I know I'm not supposed to want an attic fan, but I have an uncommon situation and do want it.) <Q> OH! <S> That's easy. <S> Get a 3-way switch. <S> Common goes to HOT. <S> Traveler 1 goes straight to the fan. <S> Traveler 2 goes via the thermostat to the fan, so that line is interrupted by the thermostat. <S> Traveler 1 and the switched line from the thermostat merge with the fan's HOT input. <S> Neutral needs to be part of the wiring bundle, so use 12/3 if you're not using conduit. <A> Nothing complicated about it. <S> Power to switch. <S> Power from switch to fan. <S> Power to thermostat. <S> Power from thermostat to fan; or, more likely if you cannot source a thermostat rated to switch the motor load directly: Power to thermostat. <S> Power to relay. <S> Power from thermostat to relay coil. <S> Power from relay contacts to fan. <S> [in this case, the switch could also switch the relay coil, rather than the fan itself, so only the relay would need to be rated for the fan motor load - may or may not matter depending on the size of the motor.] <S> If both are on, the fan runs. <A> Run a 12-3 w/ground from switch box to fan thermostat box. <S> Make one of your wires from the 12-2 (either red or black) a direct power to your thermostat. <S> So when the switch is off you still have direct power to the thermostat controlling the fan, but when you turn your switch on it bypasses the thermostat and gives the fan motor power. <A> this was helpful, and I got er done, but I was really looking for a diagram. <S> So built a diagram (see attached) showing how I used a two switches (single pole as a cut-off) and a 3 way to change between using the thermostat and just "always on" mode. <S> I want to use my fan in the winter after we get snow on the roof which blocks our ridge vents (warm air escapes, melts the snow and refreezes cutting off the air flow entirely in the attic). <S> I've now mounted a 15" fan in the roof with a 4ft tall 16" stack over the top to ventilate the attic (gable vents were not an option for me). <S> I used a 15" GAF fan from Home Depot and the wiring couldn't have been easier on the thermostat... <S> you can easily see which black wire goes into the thermostat and which one bypasses it. <S> Hope this diagram helps anyone else. <S> One last thing, if you put a digital multi-meter on your lines after the 3-way, don't be surprised to see a few volts--the meters pick up really small amounts, an analog meter would read zero. <S> Also, I was pulling power from a GFIC outlet (not required... <S> just my setup in the garage)
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Make the other wire from your 12-2 run off your switch to your fan and splice it in with the wire going from the thermostat to the fan motor; in other words that switch will go straight to the fan motor. If either one is on, the fan runs.
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Rebuilding an exterior deck is it better to use screws or nails? I have a deck that is old and falling apart so it is time to replace it. To replace the deck boards I plan to remove existing, measure boards, cut new board and put the same size and board back into place. The deck hasn't been replaced in twenty years and it currently has nails. Many tutorials and research show using screws. After a search under the deck tag I didnt see any questions on why screws would be better then nails other than I would imagine over times nails could back out. So why are screws better for deck boards then nails? Is there a particular screw other than a normal wood screw that would be good for decks? <Q> Not the best answer, but: Use screws on the top boards where people will be walking barefoot. <S> Every kid has had a wicked gash from nails (naturally) poking up a bit. <S> Use big a <S> ** nails to attach your cross beams to your main structure. <S> Nails are only good at holding against a shear, i.e. nails should always be (and only be) parallel with the ground. <S> Use large lag screws to hold together your 4x4(?) frame, the main, big parts. <S> Your deck will experience changes in temperature and the wood and fasteners will not adjust at the same rate. <S> You want some give in a deck because of this. <S> You also want some give because of the sporadic forces that humans will put on it. <S> Nails provide some give. <S> Putting screws on the "floor boards" will wear out the boards faster, but in my opinion that is the sacrifice to prevent injuring the fragile humans. <S> Please also see this question. <S> Those people are much smarter and concise than me. <A> Screws hold better over time, so are preferable. <S> Use a long (3") exterior grade screw and you'll be fine. <S> I'd avoid stainless as they're expensive and sometimes brittle. <S> If the underlying joists are in rotten shape, come back and ask about them. <A> Agreed, use screws. <S> Nails will pull out, and the shrink/swell cycle as the wood dries then gets wet then dries again can work the nails out of the holes, and make the holes slightly looser. <S> Screws can't be pushed back out. <S> They'd have to be twisted out, and the lengthwise force on the flat helical edge of the thread from tightening the screw down will remain for a very long time. <S> However; this probably goes without saying, but use the right screws, and the right hangers and other hardware. <S> Since chromated copper arsenate (CCA) has gone out of favor for pressure-treating lumber, the replacement chemical cocktails are more chemically reactive with zinc and can cause faster corrosion (destruction in years instead of decades). <S> Your screws aren't going to hold if they've rotted into flaky rust all the way through, and if your joist hangers rot away your deck will collapse. <S> Some (most?) <S> manufacturers of hot-dip (zinc) galvanized steel parts generally won't warranty how long their products will last in contact with pressure treated lumber. <S> The zinc is sacrificial, so it gets corroded instead of the underlying steel. <S> But the copper in the pressure-treating chemical brew will corrode the zinc forever, then the steel underneath will rust away. <S> Still, even if the product has a lifetime warranty and you can get service despite using the parts with pressure treated wood, it probably means the manufacturer will replace the parts. <S> They won't rebuild your collapsed deck. <S> You'll have to do that yourself. <S> The newer thing in coated parts is polymer (plastic) coated hangers and screws, or zinc-and-polymer coated parts. <S> Stainless steel is probably best for corrosion resistance, but expensive. <S> Good luck! <A> The issue with decks is that they are outdoors, which means they will tend to expand and contract a lot with moisture and temperature changes. <S> This will cause nails to come loose. <S> The best thing to use is a bolt and washer design, because it can be made to flex naturally. <S> Since it would be time-consuming and costly to bolt down every single board on the surface of the deck, the cost-effective alternative is a screw system system of some kind on the deck, using counter-sunk bolts only for the structure. <S> You should use a stainless steel, silicon bronze or brass screw system like Tiger Claw. <S> Modern lumber is ACQ treated which will rapidly degrade any galvanized fastener. <A> Ripping them old nails will be the hard part after that its cut and screw and ur good
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I was taught to use screws, preferably square drive, if not a star head is my next choice, theres also a special deck bar to help get those deck board where u want them. Screws provide absolutely no give; they will destroy the wood around before they back out. Galvanized parts are probably fine if you're using natural cedar or redwood because there aren't added chemicals that will attack the zinc coating.
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Do I need 5V or 12V to power a LED light strip? What is difference between 5V and 12V power supply? I want to power my WS2812B LED light strip (5m at 60 LED/meter) and don't understand why I would want a 400W 5V 80A power supply vs a 400W 12V power supply? What is the impact of using 5V vs 12V? Each individually addressable LED on the strip (needs?, accepts?) 60mA and 3V forward voltage. <Q> LEDs don't really have a forward voltage requirement. <S> They have a forward current limit, and that in turn affects the voltage. <S> Current limiting is most commonly done with a resistor, the value is chosen with simple math using the forward voltage drop and desired/maximum current. <S> However, the above only applies to raw LEDs. <S> if you are using a manufactured product you must use whatever power the product calls for. <S> If it wants 5V, you buy a 5V supply. <S> 5V is standard USB bus power, so if the product is intended for use anywhere near a computer they will probably build it for 5. <S> 12V is standard in vehicles. <S> Both voltages are popular away from those markets, with the choice often as boring as it matches other things that company makes. <A> Thanks for giving the part number (of the individual LED); I easily Googled it and found out exactly what you're talking about. <S> Indeed, these LEDs work on 5 volts DC, as discussed in all their literature. <S> That probably relates to them being individually addressable. <A> With low Volt electronic A/C transformer, higher voltages are to compensate for the voltage-frequency ratio output on the load side. <S> Typical "puck" light electronic A/C transformer steps up the frequency from 50 or 60 Hertz to around 19,000 - 28,000 Hertz. <S> Manufactures step up the voltage to 24 Volts on their more higher-end products. <S> Instead of using a low Volt electronic A/C transformer, there is also a low Volt direct current transformer. <S> These do not step up the frequency because they are direct current, but certain installation cautions need to be followed. <S> Namely, the polarity needs to match, and if any dimming of the LEDs are needed, a direct current rheostat has to be installed on the load side of the circuit. <S> Also, I would keep in mind the voltage drop would be an issue of longer runs <S> were to be required. <S> For this case, a higher voltage would be sensible. <S> A typical LED strip from the hobby store is probably D/C. Keep in mind <S> you cannot mix and match D/C and A <S> /C. <S> I prefer A/C because they work with most existing rheostats and polarity <S> is not a concern.
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You can use almost any voltage you want until you reach the sparky levels. You have to stick with what the product is designed to use. Common, whole-strip-the-same LED strips generally operate on 12V, with a few that operate on 24V.
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Why doesn't my tester trip the GFCI? I have a GFCI that does not trip with the plug tester. I tried troubleshooting the issue. I looked in a junction box, and found all the neutral wires coming from the subpanel were all connected at the junction box. Should I disconnect that neutral from the rest, so that the outlets have a separate neutral? When I try tripping the GFCI with the tester, the neutral light only on the tester goes out but does not trip the GFCI. Also I tried to short the outlet out by touching ground to neutral, and the 15 amp breaker did not trip. <Q> If you have normal power at the outlet and the outlet tester does not trip it, then there are two options: <S> The GFI is wired backwards. <S> If the incoming power is connected to the load, you will get the behavior you describe. <S> The GFI is defective. <S> This is pretty common. <A> If your GFCI outlet only has hot and neutral a tester will not cause it to trip, this dose <S> not you are mis wired <S> but if no ground wire the tester is not able to create the ~6ma hot to ground that mimics a fault. <S> Pushing the test button is the way to test a ungrounded GFCI outlet. <A> GFCI wire backwards GFCI has gone bad <S> Neutral wire grounding itself after the load side of the GFCI circuit.
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A GFI has line connections (for incoming power) and load connections (for using the GFI to protect other outlets). Creating a ground to neutral short won't cause a fault because these are tied together in your main panel and are at the same potential at that point.
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What is this strange, linear light bulb? Thanks to previous occupants of my house, one of the bathrooms is lit with a pair of lights that are unlike anything I've seen. The bulb is a narrow cylinder, about 3 inches long and maybe 1/4 inch in diameter, with contacts on either end. The middle is filled with some dark material, and there is a tiny, clear protuberance in the center. It is marked "PHILIPS CHINA," and "130V 2E 150." Below are pictures of it in place and out. What is this fixture/bulb called? Why would anyone install one instead of a normal fixture? <Q> Specifically that is a 78mm T3 halogen lamp. <S> I have one in my bathroom as well and love it <S> because: The bulbs are pretty cheap. <S> Usually a couple dollars. <S> I bought 10 on ebay for $20. <S> They are BRIGHT. <S> Much brighter than LED bulbs, and some fixtures can take 200 or 250W bulbs. <S> For a light over a mirror thats only on a few minutes a day, I dont care about power efficiency, I just want something bright. <S> A 100W halogen is much brighter than a 100W incandescent or any LED bulb. <S> The bulbs last for ages. <S> I have had to replace it once in the last 3 years. <S> The color of light is better than most LED or florescent bulbs. <S> There are LED versions available, but most would be too large a diameter to fit in that fixture by the looks of it. <S> The heat is actually essential to their long life. <S> Be sure to check for a sticker on the fixture stating the max wattage and not go over that with a replacement bulb. <A> As to "why" - Halogens were trendy for a while. <S> They are somewhat more efficient (energy in to light out) than traditional incandescent bulbs, and offered a whiter light- long before serious LED lighting was developed. <S> Longer bulb life is another factor (again, .vs. <S> traditional incandescents) <S> - work has one of those miserable fixtures that the Powers That Be deem "doesn't look good with LEDs" - I got it a full set of halogen bulbs (screw in style) which lasted the better part of a year before one died. <S> 3 of the halogens still work - of the two that have died and been replaced with regular incandescent bulbs, at least one has been replaced twice (and is dead again) while the other 3 halogens keep working. <S> If you opt to replace the bulb (at least for now) be careful to handle the new bulb only with a paper towel or clean rag to keep skin oils off the surface - fingerprints can cause early failure of the bulb as it gets VERY hot in use <S> - that's also a part of why the extra glass sheild is there (reducing UV emissions is another function.) <S> Early halogen torchiere fixtures caused some fires (due, IMHO, to idiot owners) when people would drape things over the fixtures - due to the envelope being close to filament (compared to a traditional bulb) <S> the bulbs run quite hot, and fabric tossed over them would catch fire, or a fixture placed too near the ceiling would cause it to scorch. <S> Later ones had ungainly wire guards. <S> So don't use them as towel hangers.... <A>
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That's a type of halogen lamp . The downside of them is that they get quite hot.
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Stain a half stained deck I now own a deck where the previous owner (for some reason) stained half of it a year or two ago (they did mostly the inside). I'm lucky to have the same product that was previously used. If I stain the rest of the deck, will I end up with two very noticeable colors? If yes, is there something I can do to reduce the differences? Note, I will clean as much as I can before doing anything. <Q> You'll have to eyeball it. <S> You'd stain the unstained & wipe off the excess where it looks pretty close...test wiping here & there. <S> Then, let it dry & see how close or far it is from the inside portion. <S> If it's too far or too dark, then you can sand it out a little, but that's a crap shoot & it's better to just let it weather & sun down by itself. <S> If it's too light <S> you just add & immediately wipe off without waiting or waiting much at all. <S> Adding stain to the inside portion will be very difficult to eyeball if it's not in the sun, so I wouldn't try doing anything there. <A> I would stain the rest of the deck, let it dry fully, and stain the entire deck again. <S> The variation should be minimal at that point. <A> If it has been weathered then the color will have changed. <S> stain a very small patch close to the stain portion of the deck. <S> Darken or lighten the stain to match as close as you can from there. <S> Most of the time you can simply put a little darker stain (i.e. dark walnut.)And to lighten it you can add a little lacquer thinner or paint thinner.
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You could also try to darken or lighten the stain slightly.
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Are power outlets in a home out of phase with each other? I'm working on a science project and there's one aspect of home wiring I need to find out (don't worry, I'm not messing with wiring - this is all on paper). Since 120V outlets in a home can be wired to either of the two 120V legs that come in from the power company, would it be a true statement that outlets on different breakers could be out of phase with each other? In other words if Bedroom 1 is tied to leg 1 and bedroom 2 is tied to leg 2 is it reasonable to assume that the sine waves measured from outlets in bedroom 1 will be out of phase with the sine waves measured from outlets in bedroom 2? <Q> Sort of. <S> If you're looking at the ungrounded (hot) conductor from each receptacle, you'll end up with a 240 volt circuit. <S> If you hooked up an oscilloscope to the ungrounded (hot) conductor of each receptacle, you'd get a single 240 volt sine wave. <S> If you hooked up the oscilloscope to the ungrounded (hot) conductor and grounded (neutral) conductors from each receptacle (4 leads instead of 2), you'd see two 120 volt sine waves 180° phase shifted from each other. <S> The two sine waves should look something like this. <S> Because the waves are phase shifted 180°, the electrical potential between the legs (at the peak) will be 240 volts. <S> While the potential between either line and "neutral", will be 120 volts. <S> If the waves were not phase shifted, they'd be at the same potential (or have 0 volts between them). <S> So while this is not a multi phase system, it's also not a simple single phase system. <S> Technically it's known as a " Single split phase system ". <S> All of this; of course, assumes that the ungrounded (hot) conductors are from different legs of the service. <A> This is mainly a semantic question. <S> From an electrician's point of view, US household supply is a single 240V that can be split into two center-tapped hot legs. <S> From a mathematical or E&M point of view, the different legs have voltages that are 180º out of phase, and therefore I think it would be safe to call them two phases once they're separated. <S> (Left to the reader as an excercise: if you take a brick and cut it in half, do you have one brick or two bricks?) <A> Yes. <S> Technically they're 180 degrees out of phase if the transformer is 120/240 split phase. <S> The neutral is tapped at the center of the coil and each side of the neutral is wound 180 out of phase from the other. <S> A 120/208Y transformer would have each phase 120 degrees out of phase. <S> Edit : <S> Here is a recent diagram I made to help illustrate the concept. <A> In a typical residential North American 120VAC, the answer is NO <S> The reason is your house only receives one phase, and thus that one phase cannot be out-of-phase with itself. <S> Changing your frame of reference (by measuring voltage from the N rather than across L1 and L2) does suddenly not make them out of phase. <S> If your real question is: "Will the voltage measured from N to L1 always be shifted 180 degrees compared to the voltage measured from N to L2?" <S> then the answer to that is "Yes" ...however that fact alone is not enough for it to be considered a separate phase of power. <S> If you truly had two phases, then the voltage difference between them would vary and occasionally be 0. <A> Using vector sums, If we assume that V1 + V2 = <S> VT <S> Where V1 is from the center tap of the transformer to one phase (L1) <S> V2 is from the center tap of the transformer to the other phase (L2) and L1 = 120 V at an angle of zero degrees and L2 <S> = 120 V at an angle of 180 degrees and VT = <S> the voltage sum of V1 and V2 (i.e., voltage across both phases) <S> Using Kirchoff's voltage law <S> (i.e., going around the circuit) <S> VT = V1 + V2' = <S> V1 + <S> (-V2) <S> VT = <S> (120, angle zero degrees) - (120, angle -180 degrees) <S> VT = <S> (120, angle zero degrees) <S> + (120, angle zero degrees) <S> VT = 240, angle zero degrees <S> The above math supports that the L1 and L2 are 180 degrees out of phase <A> Voltages across each leg will be 180 deg out of phase....remember that voltage is a DIFFERENCE <S> so if voltage across leg 1 to neutral (V1) is positive the other will measured negative (-V2) <S> (out of phase by 180) relative to V1. <S> (The numbers V1 and V2 are both positive numbers). <S> Recall that voltage is a DIFFERENCE between two points. <S> So we have <S> V1- (-V2) which is 240 volts if both V1 and V2 are 120 volts. <S> A Minus times a minus number is a positive number so V1-(-V2) = <S> V1 + V2. <S> Richard MS physics, BSEE
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If you're looking at the two separate circuits (e.g. the ungrounded (hot) and grounded (neutral) conductor from each receptacle), then you'll end up with two 120 volt circuits 180° phase shifted from each other. It depends on your frame of reference. Since it's a single circuit, it can't be out of phase with itself.
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How to fix bar stools that are too short I bought bar stool chairs but they are too short for the bar area. Is there a way to make the chair stools longer in length? <Q> Um, not really. <S> Unless you got the stools from a mix & match furniture store like Ikea where you can buy the legs separately from the seat. <S> There are approximately 3 standard chair/table height combinations: Table <S> height (e.g. a standard dinning table; seat height ~18 inches, surface height <S> ~30 inches) <S> Counter height <S> (e.g. a kitchen counter; seat height <S> ~24 <S> inches, surface height ~36 inches) <S> Bar height <S> (e.g. a bar or "high-top" tables; seat height ~30 <S> inches, surface height ~42 inches) <S> Sounds like you have "counter height" stools with a "bar height" surface. <A> Good luck finding a way to make that lightweight and attractive <S> ; I don't think it's I possible <S> but I doubt it's much more practical than rebuilding the chair from scratch or buying new. <S> I suppose one way to "justify" it would be to add wheels as part of that frame and get most of the added height from them...... <S> though that has its own stability issues. <A> Are the legs wood? <S> If so you could just make longer ones from scratch. <S> Otherwise, if you're up for something a bit more complicated, you might be able to use a finger joint to extend the legs. <S> Matthias Wandel recently posted about repairing an axe handle where he used finger joints to extend the handle from the breaking point. <S> If its strong enough for an axe handle, I have to imagine it would be strong enough for a stool leg. <S> Here's an image from the referenced article showing how the joint works <S> After gluing together, he shapes the new part to match the old part. <A> You could try a dowel screw and a short length of matching wood attached to each leg. <S> I wouldn't use this method to raise up the stool more than 4-6" though, since the legs may become unstable with anything over that. <S> ( Image Source )
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The only solution I can think of would be to build a box or frame of some sort, braced for stability and with the chair then firmly attached to it.
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motion sensor light with a three way switch I want to put a motion sensor light in my breezeway. Right now the light is controlled by a three way switch. Will I ab able to do this installation. <Q> Sure. <S> The three way just allows two switches to turn a light on and off. <S> The motion sensor limits the controlled light, if it is set to go on, only when it senses motion. <S> Effectively, the three way switches prime the light to go on and the motion triggers it. <S> The switches determine if there is power to the light socket. <S> The motion detector (which controls power after the switches) then either turns the light on or off based on motion. <S> The problem is that it will be difficult to determine when the light is primed to go on. <S> Regular switches (single pole, one way) are on when up and off when down. <S> However, for three ways, up on a given switch an be on or off depending on the orientation of the other switch. <S> How do you know if the motion sensor controlled device is ready to go? <S> UPDATE: <S> If you can't see both switches at the same time, you cannot know the motion controlled device is ready (ON) unless you set up some sort of pilot light. <S> There are three way switches that are illuminated when off, such as this one . <S> Images and links are for illustration only, not an endorsement of goods or sources <A> No, don't do it that way. <S> It will be way too confusing, just as Bib says. <S> You would have to memorize the switch pattern in order to know if the motion sensor will activate. <S> Run the switches and the sensor in parallel. <S> This way either can control the light. <S> Well, either can turn the light on, but not off if the other is on. <A> Putting a single-pole motion detecting switch in the middle of a 3-way circuit (or even in parallel) would result in non-intuitive behavior as the other answers already describe. <S> However, instead of putting a motion detecting switch in the middle of a 3-way lighting circuit, consider replacing one of the current 3-way switches with a 3-way motion-detecting switch ( this an example of one ). <S> This would give typical 3-way switch behavior and also a light that automatically turns on in the breezeway which may meet your needs depending on the desired functionality and the current locations of the switches. <S> E.g. <S> Assuming that you want the light to come on automatically when you enter the breezeway from the garage: If one of the 3-way switches is in the garage near the breezeway entrance, you can replace this 3-way switch with a 3-way motion detecting switch and the light will now turn on automatically as you enter the breezeway from the garage.
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If you can see both three way switches at the same time, a practical way to do this is to set up the switches so that they are on when both are up or down and off when they are not in the same position.
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Concerns about hanging a hundred plus mugs on dry wall Newbie here! Among other things, I collect Starbucks mugs from my travels. I have over a hundred mugs and they have spent most of their life in boxes in the garage - until now! I was thinking of displaying them and was thinking of using several rows of BYGEL rails from IKEA and "S" hooks . I have two perpendicular walls I was thinking of hanging them on. I can hang only six mugs on each rail, which would mean I would need around 20 rails (scope for expansion). I was thinking of hanging two rows of rails on one wall, and one row on the other. To make it look even, that would mean 2 rows of 7 rails on one wall, and one row of 7 on another. My fear is whether the dry wall will be able to hold this kind of weight. Each mug weighs 1.1lb, and the rail 1lb. So one wall would have to hold around 107lbs of weight, while the other around 53lbs. I will not be able to screw the rails into the studs as it will not be aligned aesthetically. So I will have to use dry wall anchors. Do you see any concerns with my design? Will the dry wall be able to hold this kind distributed weight? I really appreciate your feedback. Thanks so much. JK <Q> It's hard to say whether your drywall will support this <S> , it might, it might not. <S> Big factors are the thickness, condition, and stud spacing. <S> As well, if the bars ever experience a dynamic load like someone bumping into it, pulling on mugs, etc. <S> it might very well fail while it was fine with a static load. <S> The "right" way to do this is to open up the walls and install blocking between studs so that you can mount your bars to a solid support instead of the drywall. <S> You could paint it to match the wall. <A> 100 pounds is not an impossible load. <S> Heavy mirrors routinely weigh that much and are often mounted in drywall using two anchor points. <S> No question, mounting on studs is much stronger and more reliable. <S> Also, as pointed out by @Steven, dynamic loads are much more challenging than static loads. <S> Repeated strong tugs could weaken an otherwise fine mounting. <S> If you cannot use existing studs, add blocking or use a plywood backer as suggested by Steven, you could use heavy duty toggle bolts like these <S> These spread the load over a much larger areas than simple expansion anchors. <S> They also allow the bolt to be removed and reinserted if needed. <S> Images and links are for illustration only, not an endorsement of goods or sources. <A> Make an additional support! <S> Just take a long plank (or whatever You may think of as an aestethically-looking construction item) and attach it to the studs (if You are sure where they are), then - attach Your hangers to the plank/support. <S> Given this You may want to choose whatever You like to look good and it will function well. <S> I recommend to attach this quite firm so any additional load do not spoil Your collection. <A> TL/DR version: <S> It doesn't matter how many of those rails you put into any one sheet of drywall (assuming they are not crazy close together). <S> Those loads won't interact with each other. <S> The problem with drywall is preventing the fastener from pulling out - if your fastener doesn't pull out, then you're going to be fine. <S> Longer: <S> You can ignore the vertical component of the load <S> (drywall won't fail that way in this case). <S> What your cups and rails are doing is they are creating a torsional load on the drywall's fasteners (e.g., trying to pull the drywall itself off the wall). <S> That drywall will be fastened with dozens of screws, so the load on each of them will remain small. <S> Even if you removed all those screws, the tape-seams (especially at the top of the drywall) would be enough to support a small load like this. <S> I have seen kitchen cabinets hung on toggle-bolts with no issue - <S> that's way more than what you are planning. <S> I have many shelves in my own house mounted on appropriate drywall anchors that definitely weigh more than what you are planning. <S> So again, pick a good drywall anchor (maybe not the plastic wall ones) and you'll be fine. <S> Worry about the individual rails, the wall will be fine. <S> It's not even close.
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Or alternatively, install a piece of plywood on top of the drywall, anchored to the studs, and then mount your bars to the plywood. If You will use correct screws (that means, not some ridiculously small or so), everything will be great, including 'the look'. Other 'pro' is that You don't need to uncover dry wall.
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A/C not keeping up So, the first warm-ish day of summer finally showed up in the Black Hills yesterday and I noticed that our central air conditioning was not really keeping up... the thermostat was set at 72, but the interior temperature was 76 and didn't drop a degree after several hours of continuous operation of the A/C. Troubleshooting, I identified the following issues: only two open/unblocked registers in the entire house. Solution: opened/unblocked all registers and delivered a semi-patronizing lecture to my children about not covering the vents with boxes. An extremely dirty air filter. Solution: changed air filter. Stern lecture to myself about remembering to do this every 60 days or so. Thinking that this would solve the problem, I sat on the couch and waited to be bathed in the A/C's cool embrace. Yet, after another hour, the temperature had still not dropped even a degree. The next steps in my investigation revealed the following: the air blowing out of the registers didn't seem all that cool (but it did seem slightly cooler than room temp). the insulation covering the line coming in from the outside unit were soaking wet and had visible condensation. the outside unit seemed to be blowing cold air. I've taken a look at this question: AC Unit Blow Warm Air Indoor But Colder Air Outdoor but I am daring to risk being flagged as a duplicate due to the additional details I have provided, hoping that they might help in the further diagnosis of my problem. Is there anything else I can try or do I need to call upon the arcane services of an HVAC professional? <Q> If you have a set of gauges, you should connect them at the condensing unit and measure the pressures in the refrigerant lines. <S> If you don't have a set of gauges, you should contact somebody who does. <S> Troubleshooting and repairing A/C units requires special tools, without them you can only speculate as to what the problem is. <S> If I had to speculate, I'd say you're refrigerant is low. <S> If you really want to poke around yourself, you could open up the air handler and visually inspect the evaporator coil. <S> Make sure it's not iced up, or covered in dust, dirt, or debris. <S> If it is dirty, you'll likely want to have a professional clean it, as the fins are easily damaged. <A> There is some additional easy trouble-shooting you can do yourself. <S> Check temperature at the vents <S> : Get a little thermometer. <S> Put it right on or just inside one of the air vents so that it's getting the full effect of the air temp coming out of the vents. <S> The air should be about 20 degrees cooler than ambient in your house. <S> So, if your house is 75, the air coming out should be 55 or around there. <S> If it's not, then you may be low on coolant. <S> In my case these coils sit right above the furnace. <S> I have to take a front panel off to see them. <S> They are literally, copper coils on a condenser / radiator looking thing. <A> One day several years ago it was 118° here, and our A/C couldn't get the house any cooler than 87°. <S> Eventually I discovered there wasn't enough aluminum tape around the return air duct, so <S> I was just blowing a lot of cool air into the attic. <S> Taping it up solved the problem. <S> I don't know if that even applies in your case, <S> but if so, it's worth a look.
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Check for freeze-up: If the air filter was very dirty and vents were being blocked, you may have frozen your evaporator coils.
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What sort of a drain pipe is this? I dont even know if drain pipe is the right word. We have this little pipe jutting out of the wall in our back yard. It keeps dripping water. Its a new unit/apartment in Australia and the builder is now no where - so we are on our own. First we thought it was the water heaters outlet, because the builder said so. But the water dripping out is cold. Then we noticed it will only drip when our washing machine is draining its water into the trough. Clothes washed with cold water. Doesn't look like all of the water is getting out either, but only a glassfull. 1) Should we be worried about it ? 2) How do I fix it. <Q> If you only notice it draining when the air conditioning cooling unit is on, my guess would be <S> it is the condensate drain for the evaporator coil. <A> Typical of a condensate drain, I'd be surprised if you can't trace the thing back inside and see where it connects (run something stiff-but-flexible up the pipe and listen inside if not otherwise obvious.) <S> Might be from an A/C unit, a condensing furnace or hot water heater, etc. <S> In freezing climates safety overflows are normally prohibited from a placement like this (due to potential ice plugs), but that is probably not a concern for your area so it could be that, as well. <S> Placement right next to a drain grate suggests that there should not be too much concern with a small amount of water coming out of it. <S> You might set an empty can under it when you are done with the washing and check it before the next washing, just to see if it is in fact running at other times. <S> Does your washing machine set in a tray? <S> (An arrangement to minimize the effect of a leak in the machine, essentially a very localized floor drain.) <A> I had the same problem, dripping cold water from a pipe like that in a new built house. <S> It was eventually traced to a wrongly fitted safety valve on the expansion tank beside the gas boiler. <S> I was told by the plumber that, if left, the heating pump would eventually fail. <S> After some haggling, the builder did pay for both the valve and the pump to be replaced and the dripping stopped. <S> Incidentally, if it is a new build property, ask around your neighbours. <S> There were half a dozen similar faults in houses built at the same time by the same builder. <S> Collective bargaining helps in getting your money back.
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A pipe like this is often a safety overflow from a central heating boiler.
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Smoke alarms go off in the middle of the night for no apparent reason and then is fine Tonight at about 2 AM my wife and I were awakened by our fire alarm system going off in full alarm mode. I quickly jumped up and pressed the button to reset the system and they all stopped. We checked the house and everything was fine. We had the same thing happen about a year ago, again in the middle of the night. Our house is almost 3 years old. We have 8 fire detectors and one carbon monoxide detector. The carbon monoxide detector is in the basement near the furnace. The are all hard wired together and have battery backups. Is this normal? Should I be concerned? Do I need it checked by a pro? What may be the cause? Are we haunted? <Q> You may have batteries getting old. <S> You need a battery tester (not expensive). <S> Even new batteries can be faulty, and supply low voltage to an appliance. <S> This will cause a fire alarm to false-trigger, sometimes. <A> According to Kidde’s website, 2am alarms are commonly associated with failing batteries. <S> Small drops in room temperature create more resistance on the battery, which temporarily fails, then mimics an alarm state. <S> If that doesn’t fix the problem, or you can’t ID the specific unit, replace batteries in all units. <S> And if that doesn’t work you may be looking at having to replace a unit <A> A random beep does not a crisis make. <S> Electronic sensors twitch sometimes. <S> If there were a real smoke or CO2 condition, the alarm would almost certainly go off again after reset, probably immediately. <S> However, you should test each of the alarms immediately, and again regularly to ensure they are working. <S> And, if it happens again in the near future, call in a pro.
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Find the alarm that’s setting off the system (it usually is the 1st to go off, followed very shortly thereafter by others on the wired system), and replace the battery.
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How to hook up a 240V 50Hz heat pump to 60Hz I am facing a challenge:Every EVI (-25C outside) air to water heat pump system seems to be 240V/1Ph/50Hz (and 1 exception I found so far: 240V/1Ph/60Hz, however with extremely limited information, and 1 option is not really an option). My electrical panel however can deliver me 240V/1Ph/60Hz (30A). So how do I hook up a 50Hz system? I searched for transformers, but can not seem to find one yet. What is the best solution to get this heating system hooked up? Any supplier suggestions for transformers? Thanks <Q> Ask the manufacturer of the desired system how frequency sensitive their system is. <S> Do not use a Variable frequency drive on anything other than motors unless endorsed by the manufacturer. <S> Chances are you do not want to mess with a rotary phase converter. <A> You would need a VFD aka variable frequency drive. <S> Here is an example <S> Your load requirements may be different. <A> Your system is really a 120V/240V/1Ph/60Hz system -- simply use the 60Hz heat pump you identified. <S> (A 50Hz heat pump will likely not work properly on a 60Hz supply.)
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Some equipment will work just fine at either 50 or 60 hertz with no adjustment, some will need some minor changes (move jumper or such), some will need major change (replace motors, or add variable frequency drive), some will not work without a rotary phase converter.
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How can I remove Ink stains from my dryer? Long story short, I washed some clothes that had ink pens still inside. I throw them in the washer, and now that the clothes are dried, I see inks stains ALL over my dryer. It literally looks like skid marks on the street. What is the best way to remove these ink stains? I did some searching and found that I can use bleach, acetone, or dishwasher soap. I haven't tried the bleach method. The dishwasher soap method does not work. The acetone method kind of works but it only lightens the stains and the smell is unbearable. Does the bleach method work or is there another solution that will remove the stains completely? <Q> Isopropyl alcohol may work, but it will be less effective. <S> Take a rag and fold it up neatly into a square and saturate it in the alcohol. <S> The rag on the outside should be changed as soon as it becomes saturated in ink. <S> The denatured alcohol may also be able to remove these stains from your clothing. <A> Ink has acid in it, so the color will etch onto most surfaces. <S> One way to remove the color is to use an even more powerful acid, like nitric acid. <S> Using a powerful acid will probably eat into basket of the dryer, so you will still see a mark. <S> One type of acid you can buy is tire cleaner which is sold in any auto parts store. <S> Beware <S> this is powerful stuff and can damage the finish of the basket. <S> Another strategy is to use an oxidizer like hydrogen peroxide. <A> According to BIC's FAQs , an alcohol-based hairspray is first choice to try: ... spray the hair spray directly on the stain and then wipe off with a clean paper towel or rag. <S> You might need to do this a few times depending on the size of the stain. <S> If you make several cleaning passes with water, alcohol, acetone, paint thinner, etc., and there is still a stain, it is probably safe to not worry about it. <S> If the ink is that stable, it is not very likely to stain clothes either.
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Depending on the ink, denatured alcohol may be able to remove the stains without causing further harm to your dryer. Then take another piece of rag and wrap it around the square and keep rubbing until all of the ink has been removed. Concentrate the hydrogen peroxide to 10% or 15% (instructions on YouTube) and apply it to the stains.
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How do I protect and insulate a ceiling built against the roof? My upper floor used to be a large attic. Sometime in the past the entire space was converted to living space: 2 bedrooms, 2 finished closets, and two unfinished storage "closets". Much of the ceiling is built against the roof, and angles down towards the exterior walls. The walls and ceiling are all lathe and plaster. On the ceiling they simply nailed the lathes across the inside of the roofing members and then plastered over it. There is no insulation, and no barrier between the roof shingles and the interior lathe and plaster. The roof is composition shingle, and doesn't have solid sheathing underneath. I'm going to remodel the walls and ceiling this summer. I'll knock out the lathe and plaster and install drywall. The roof will need to replaced within the next five years. It will require a full tear-off and installation of new plywood sheathing. OK, enough background. Thanks for reading this far! My questions: What is standard practice when building a ceiling against the roof? How will I protect my new drywall ceiling from being damaged when the roof is torn off? Should I install plywood or OSB under (above) the drywall? Or maybe just put off the remodel until the new roof is in place? I want to put insulation between the roof and the ceiling. Can this be done when replacing the ceiling, or would it be best to wait and have it put in when the new roof sheathing is installed? <Q> It really depends on a lot of factors...namely your climate and how much space you have in the ceiling rafters. <S> Ideally, you'd insulate with spray foam. <S> That will give you the best r-value and act as a vapor barrier. <S> (It's a lot easier to toss lathe and plaster out the roof than it is to haul down bucket by bucket. <A> It doesn't make sense to do the inside before the roof has been replaced. <S> The drywall will most likely end up getting damaged when the roof is being demoed and new sheathing is installed. <S> The contractors may inadvertently step on the backside of the drywall and cave it in. <S> There is also a big chance of some water damage. <S> Keeping the original lathe for the roof replacement would also help protect your belongings on the inside. <S> You definitely wouldn't want to be able to see the sky by looking straight up from the bedroom. <S> Once the roof is complete, then you can demo the inside. <S> A closed cell foam will be a good choice here because it acts as a vapor barrier and will help prevent moisture from damaging your ceiling. <S> If that is the case, you can then install XPS foam panels on your entire ceiling over your rafters, and then drywall over that. <S> That should be enough to keep your house warm. <A> When it comes to what comes first both ways are acceptable but would be better if you do it all at once. <S> Now when we speak about new roof cover material and procedures depend on type of covering material and there are so many options. <S> But to put it in one word just apply standard procedures (if you use tiles go with the lathe etc.).Now once you cover the roof, taking that it is waterproof you can place rock or mineral wool between roof beams. <S> You can fix those by using wire fixed in the "X" position and you just nail it to the beams, <S> I’m sorry if this is poor explanation if you aren't clear just ask for details. <S> Next step is to put barrier. <S> Over the barrier you can fix either manufacturer substructure for plaster boards or just plain lathe. <S> I think that covers everything... <S> if you have any additional questions feel free to ask.
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Since there isn't much space in between the roof and the ceiling, your best bet would probably be to have spray foam insulation installed. Depending on your climate, the spray foam may not provide enough of an R factor. You should be able to do it separate from the new roof but it may be a lot easier to just do it all at once.
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How do I unscrew a hex screw that doesn't have any grip anymore? I messed up the screw that fits this tip of this particular type of screwdriver bit (circled in red): That screw now has almost no edges and is basically oval. I tried lubricating the screw so that I can get it by the neck on the opposite side with a set of pliers but I had no luck there as well. <Q> You may have some luck with a screw extractor. <S> They come in various styles - here are two of them: <S> The extractors are designed to screw themselves down into the head of the screw while at the same time applying torque on the screw in the direction that would loosen the screw. <S> Your described screw had a hex socket type hole so the extractor may be ready to try. <S> Sometimes it is necessary to drill a small hole in the screw head to engage the extractor. <S> The first type shown has extractor on one and a suitably sized drill on the other end. <S> It the extractor fails to remove the screw or if the thing is too far gone already to accept a screw extractor <S> then it would likely be a next step to remove the core of the screw by drilling it out. <S> With care you can drill down the center of the core and use a diameter that is smaller than the outside thread diameter. <S> Then you can come back with a threading tap to remove the reset of the screw material and clean up the threads in the mating part. <S> Here is a picture of a typical threading tap. <A> I usually just cut a slot in the screw head with a Dremel or similar rotary cuttter, and then use a regular screwdriver to unscrew. <A>
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If the head is readily accessible you can use a fine toothed metal saw to cut a groove with which you then can use a regular flat screwdriver to unscrew.
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What's the right approach for insulating the slab & footings underneath a masonry fireplace/heater? The fireplace will be located in the middle of the concrete slab (away from the foundation stem walls) so it will have its own footing. My impression is that footings should rest on soil & gravel and the slab should "float" on rigid foam. I've done a fair bit of homework on foundation and basement insulation in general, however when it comes to fireplaces and insulation the focus seems to be primarily on chimneys and doors (where I suppose it's too late to think about footings in most cases). The options I've considered + diagrams of the footing cross-section: Uninsulated fireplace footing - thermal bridge right into the ground, but in the middle of the slab. How significant is that? Insulate the fireplace footing - do building codes generally allow that? Uninsulated footing with insulation between slab and footing. RE: 40 PSI foam, 8000 lbs on a 3' x 6' footing works out to just over 3 PSI additonal load. By the way this is in Zone 4 marine climate - gets cold but frost doesn't penetrate below the topsoil. <Q> http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/foam-under-footings <S> suggests both that it should be entirely feasible to place foam under, and that it may require negotiations with the LAHJ for code/inspection purposes. <A> Ecnerwal is right that the if the footing is uninsulated, some of the heat will escape into the dirt under the house, where it will sort of be stored due to (I hope) <S> your insulated slab perimeter walls keeping the heat in. <S> However, unless that space is fully insulated on all sides (e.g. under the dirt on the same plane as the footer), there will be heat escaping into the surrounding soil. <S> However, if this dirt is going to be used to store heat (which is fine), then you shouldn't insulate under the floor slab, either; if the dirt below the slab is effectively being brought into the mass envelope, and it doesn't make sense to thermally block off the finish flooring from it. <S> If, as your plan indicates, you're going to stick with insulating right under the rest of the slab, you should insulate under the masonry heater footing as well. <S> Foam will be fine, assuming you can find someone willing to sign off on it--especially for a very heavy masonry heater that is probably unfamiliar enough to most building inspectors. <S> An option that would be more conventionally-acceptable to these typically very conservative folks might be some sort of higher-strength insulation material, such as foamglas, AAC, or perlite concrete. <S> Or even just bags of perlite, with the slab poured right on top of it. <S> For an example of this, see https://perlite.org/library-perlite-info/insulation-perlite/Perlite-underslab-insulation.pdf <A> While foam insulation is capable of taking a large pressure, it also has the tendency to compact a bit over time. <S> This would cause some settling of the slab and/or footing above it. <S> Now, settling is not in itself necessarily a problem - but differential settling would be : when rigid foam supports a load, it can suffer from “creep” or deflection. <S> Over 50 years, the foam can shrink by 10%... <S> The real problem isn’t settling, it is differential settlement... <S> Therefore I believe you must insulate under both the slab and footing, or under neither. <S> That said, you have another option, which is to not use a footing at all. <S> The function of a footing in this case, as I understand it, is not actually to transfer load to the ground - if you put the heater right on the slab itself, the same thing would happen (as opposed to, say, putting it on a wooden framed floor). <S> Instead, the function of the footer is to prevent the slab from cracking under the weight. <S> Now, an 8000 lb weight over a 3x6 area is 444 psf. <S> I believe this is well within the load range of what a normal 4" slab can handle. <S> for comparison, a 2000 lb automobile sits on a total tire contact area of perhaps 1 sqft . <S> That's 2000 psf, obviously way more pressure (and also more concentrated) <S> but no one puts footings under their garage floors for that. <S> (You might elect to add some extra rebar under that area and extending outwards from it, since that is cheap and easy to do. <S> In fact even pouring the slab 2" thicker uniformly would not cost that much more and could give added peace of mind.) <S> Hope that helps. <S> (We're planning a masonry heater too.)
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If this will be used as a serious heating appliance, (I'm inferring from "masonry heater") not merely decoration (as many fireplaces are), I'd go with uninsulated footing, especially if the stemwall is insulated - whatever thermal bridging takes place will be to the "bubble" of dirt inside the stemwall, which can play into your thermal mass. In this case, you would want to insulate the slab perimeter, under the footings, and under the dirt that the slab sits on.
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How can I connect metal rods together crosswise? I have some stainless steel rods of diameters such a 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" or so, and I want to connect them together in some cases cross-wise to make a lattice. In some cases it might be convenient to connect them at an angle like 45-degrees. How can I do this? The rods will need to be taken apart sometimes, so it cannot be a permanent bond. Also, I don't want to use anything that will leave adhesive on the rods or gum them up. One obvious idea is to use baling wire and just wrap it around the joint, but it might slip. <Q> After doing some research I found these that cost $12 each, pretty expensive, but am open to better suggestions: <A> For light duty, easily removable attachment, stainless steel safety wire is available, buy a spool of 0.41 and a pair of safety wire twisters. <S> Better than bailing wire, won't rust. <S> Use a pair of dikes to snip it loose when you need to remove it. <S> Safety wire is used on industrial/heavy equipment or aircraft. <S> It fits through drilled heads on bolts or through castle nuts and drilled holes on the thread end. <S> With that information, it should be easily found with an internet search. <A> Have you considered cable clamps ? <S> Getting large enough ones to straddle the crossed wires will hold them together, be removable and you can set them so it controls the grid you create, whether it be set square or diagonal. <S> The "legs" of the bottom part of the clamp can be cut off, or there are "U" bolts that have a flat plate to hold parts together.
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Put a couple wraps around the rods and twist the free ends up to tighten.
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How do I make carbon dioxide for a mosquito trap? I have an insect/mosquito zapper. I want to attract the mosquitoes to this zapper to kill them. The best way to do this is by producing carbon dioxide next to it. I'm thinking that if I put a jar or bucket of some liquid (or other substance) that gives off a non-dangerous amount of carbon dioxide it will attract the mosquitoes to that area and the zapper will do the rest. So what is the best way to produce carbon dioxide for this purpose? <Q> And dry ice requires special handling and going back and forth to the store many times to procure fresh ice. <S> A better way to continuously produce 1 to 3 humans' worth of carbon dioxide over a period of about 3 to 4 days is via (yeast) fermentation. <S> You will need a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. <S> Drill a hole in the lid of the bucket and connect a length of hose long enough to reach from the bucket <S> lid to an area adjacent to the zapper <S> ; most standard garden hoses are 5/8-inch in diameter; you will want the hole to be slightly smaller than the hose so that the hose fits snugly in the hole. <S> Don't put the business end of hose too close to the zapper, because foam from the fermentation process might travel up and spill out of the hose (onto the zapper!). <S> You will want to set the bucket on a piece of wood or insulation to prevent the ground from cooling it. <S> It may be helpful to paint the outside of the bucket black to help it absorb heat from the sun. <S> You will need 750 grams (1.65 lbs) of sugar and a pack of active yeast. <S> Mix the sugar with 1 gallon of hot tap water. <S> When the water has cooled to around body temperature (feels neither warm nor cool on your forearm) add the yeast and close the lid. <A> Most mosquito traps produce carbon dioxide by burning propane: http://home.howstuffworks.com/mosquito-magnet2.htm <A> Just mix baking soda with vinegar and you will get all the CO 2 <S> you want. <S> Make sure that the jar is big enough because this reaction causes bubbles; the liquid will expand. <S> Also, keep one more thing in mind <S> CO 2 is heavier than air meaning that you should somehow put the zapper inside the jar so it would be near CO 2 and not over it; <S> because I don't think that it would have the same effect. <A> Vinegar will cause slow release of CO2 from limestone. <S> A fist size rock will take days to dissolve. <S> The stuff is cheap at most sand and gravel stores. <S> Sodium Bicarb reacts much to quickly for your purpose, while keeping fermentation going long term is a pain. <A> Just keeping zappers near plants at night as plants do emit co2 at nights, would that not be enough? <A> A chunk of dry ice in a bucket of water.
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Vinegar and baking soda will produce carbon dioxide very quickly; the reaction will be over in a matter of minutes.
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Finding air leaks in ducts I've been sealing the ducts in our basement with mastic. I've done a decent job, but I'm trying to find every leak in the basement, where it's accessible. For instance, I stand on the ladder in one area and I feel cold air with the a/c running. But, I can't figure out where it's coming from, and there are ducts on three sides of me, all within a foot of my head. If I hold up a 1 ply torn corner of a Klennex it flutters a bit but I can't determine which direction, let alone specifically where so I can throw a little more mastic there. Everything I've read online is about testing leakage to get a number, etc. but I just want to know where exactly in the basement any leaks that are left are from. I've thought about an incense stick, but am hoping for something with no chance of burning anything, something I can pick up and put down repeatedly with no worries. <Q> Google "Smoke Pencil" or "Wizard Stick". <S> Both use fog machine technology to vaporize a small amount of glycerine, producing a cool stream of smoke. <S> The former is the professional product; the latter is a cheaper toy, but probably good enough for your purposes. <S> (And, you definitely don't want to be messing around with flames in a dense tangle of air ducts. <S> Could get exciting fast.) <A> Depending on how big is the area on which you suspect you can try one simple method: take the soap and mix it with a bit of water (like when you are washing your hands) and then apply it on the surface. <S> You’ll know that you have found a leak because soap will start making bubbles <A> I found a video which showed testing and using a tape for fixing. <S> Hoping this helps.. Cheers !
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You can inspect using a toilet paper for wind blowing and sucking for return ducts.
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2 breakers powering 1 set of outlets this is my first time posting a question to a forum like this. Electrician added a breaker and ran a line to an outlet that had power from a different circuit but had a short in it that could not be located. Is this safe? Here is the whole story... Plugged a vacuum in and it started and then went off right away. Also, lost power to 2 other outlets and lights in another room and hallway. On the same breaker there is the bathroom plug with GFI, light fixture and fan all working as expected including the GFI. The breaker was not tripped but I did flip all the breakers off and on a couple times to be sure. I reset all GFI in the house. I removed and replaced the original outlet that caused outage, then replaced another and before replacing the 3rd I used a non-contact meter to see that the wire to the outlet was not getting power. At this point I decided it was time to call an electrician. I found the electrician on Angies list - they had an A rating and many positive reviews. They gave me the pricing and told me they start with an hour and that is usually enough time to find and fix the problem but if not that they would be able to give me an estimate for the work required, time and price. They came out the next day, the electrician and his apprentice. They looked at all the outlets with no contact meter, pulled out a few of the plugs on the circuit for this breaker to check for loose connections, took a couple of the lights that were out down and checked connections, traced lines in the crawlspace and attic and were unable to find the break in the connection. After an hour and a half they had not found the cause of the outage but had found a melted connection on the GFI and had removed it. They told me that they could stop there and not charge me for the time - only the GFI replacement or they could keep going but would need to charge me the hourly rate. I said keep going. They looked for another 2 hours in the attic and crawlspace and were unable to find the break in connection. Said there was a line running down into a wall that didn't seem to have any outlets near it and that maybe there was a hidden junction box (even though I said I don't remember one from the complete gut down to studs that I performed 3 years earlier). At this point the electrician said that he could not find the problem and that the only thing he could do was to put in a new breaker and run a new line to the original outlet (which only had one hot one neutral running to it). Since there were unable to find the break they were not able to disconnect the line that should have been powering it. But when I do find it the hidden junction box or loose connection (I told them I was going to be remodeling the kitchen in the next month) to cap it off. Basically they added another breaker to feed power to the outlets that lost power. He told me 4 times before leaving to make sure that the smoke alarms worked. After some more research I think that what he did is very unsafe so I turned the new breaker off. Is what he did safe? Can I leave it like this? After they left I realized they never checked the bathroom light fixture - and that it is about where they said there was a line going down the wall and I had replaced a lightbulb around the same time the issue started (although I am not sure exactly when the power went out only noticed after vacuum incident). I am going to check it out the bathroom light fixture tomorrow but if that is not the problem what should I do. And if it is the problem should I cap off the extra wires here or should I fix connection and then disconnect the new line added? <Q> The new breaker isn't unsafe, the old one is. <S> The old breaker--which I presume is still powering the original circuit--is still providing electricity to a circuit which appears to have a problem hidden somewhere in one of your walls. <S> To be completely safe, shut off the old breaker (which will, unfortunately, also shut off power to everything else that is on the old circuit). <A> The breaker was not tripped but I did flip all the breakers off and on a couple times to be sure. <S> Based on this and other comments, it sounds more like an open somewhere in the circuit and not a short. <S> The other possibility is maybe (big emphasis on maybe) a bad breaker that didn't trip for a short. <S> Here's some good reading about this subject <S> (1) Consider physically disconnecting the half supplied by the new breaker from any cable(s) fed by the old breaker. <S> (2) <S> Or, as @Craig stated, simply turn off the old breaker. <S> This is the fail-safe option. <S> On the same breaker there is the bathroom plug with GFI, light fixture and fan all working as expected including the GFI. <S> Based on what you have described, he rewired the portion(s) of the circuit that were acting odd, which implies that your open/loose connection/gremlins are somewhere between the OK portion of the old circuit and what he rewired. <S> If you can't live without power in the bathroom you mentioned, then consider option (1) above. <S> If you disconnect the old circuit where the new begins, you should be minimizing the chance of aggravating the situation. <S> By turning the old breaker off, you completely remove the chance of aggravating the situation. <A> There is the potential for a circuit to be fed from more than 1 source. <S> If the original breaker is on L1 and the new on L2 and things do connect for some reason that could start a fire in the worst case. <S> I have a Greenlee 8000 that can trace wires through the walls and find an open in minutes; they are expensive, but tools do exist to find the problem.
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But if the electrician installed a new breaker and ran new wire to the old outlet box like you seem to be saying (and capped off the old wires in that outlet box), that new breaker and new line are perfectly safe presuming the electrician is competent. Half of the original circuit is powered by one breaker and the other half powered by a different breaker If I fully understand this could be very unsafe.
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How do I remove plastic bag print from outside surface of washing machine? I bought new sheets for my son, and I put the Target plastic bag, with heavy sheets in it, on top of the washer for the sheets to be washed. This morning I picked up the bag, and I've got red bullseyes on my white washing machine! How the print won't come off this surface easily is amazing, but per my Google search, this isn't out of the ordinary when you combine walls and furniture (and apparently appliances) with printed plastic bags. Who knows what causes it in each case, though. I checked the off-white carpet where this bag sat prior to being placed on the washer, and it's clean. I'm guessing I had liquid residue on my washing machine (probably from spraying stain remover on 1/4 of the clothes that get washed) that coaxed the print off the bag. Windex did not work. Magic Eraser did not work. Baking soda did not work. Goo Gone did not work. Multi-purpose cleaner (generic 409) did not work. I am left with light pink bullseyes :( I also have Murphy's Oil Soap (which I have as a kind-of-solution for getting dry erase marker out of clothes, long story, only use on white fabric!) but have not tried it because I only have a few drops left. If I need to buy more, so be it. Does anyone have any thoughts on it? Before I turn my laundry room into a deli, does anyone know what the alleged magic of mayo is? I see a lot of people suggesting using it both in this forum and elsewhere. Thank you! <Q> I don't see bleach on your list of things? <S> Red has a real problem with bleach. <S> If that doesn't work, you may try WD-40 or even carburetor cleaner . <S> Just use either with a lot of fresh air available. <S> Soft Scrub works pretty well for this kind of thing, too, but it uses bleach, so may not be any better than using straight bleach. <A> I had a similar problem about two years ago and a guy friend brought over something called "Rubbing Compound" or sometimes called "buffing compound" used to polish away scuffs and scratches on cars. <S> It worked, but wasn't a bag from Target that left the imprint so not sure if it's the same coloring chemicals. <S> From what I gather, if rubbing compound doesn't work, then it means the color is absorbed in to the paint and may be more difficult to remove. <A> But nail polish remover (with acetone) did the trick! <S> There's a faint colour spot still but only to me because I know it's there.
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I experienced a similar problem, nothing was taking the colour off - magic eraser, soft scrub, wd40.
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Water coming in around foundation when it rains My home was built in the 1980s. I live in Oklahoma. Last month with all the rains I started getting water coming in and soaking carpets I have a slab foundation. I pulled the carpet up no cracks. I thought the water was coming in where the air conditioner lines and hot water lines run into the house. I sealed all of that but when it rained again I got more water. There is a rock garden outside of that part of the house. Any suggestions <Q> Have you checked your gutters. <S> Every time I end up with water in my basement it is the result of some issue with my gutters. <S> I have a lot of old trees around my house and during certain times of the year it is impossible to keep them clean <S> (I know I need guards). <S> If they back up the water pours over the sides and then builds up near the basement walls and eventually seeps inside. <S> Also, make sure the downspouts are all still attached and if needed get some extensions to send the water further away from the house. <S> Also, check the grade of the area surrounding the foundation. <S> Make sure that there is a least a small slope away from the house. <S> If the rock bed is too high - or if you have some kind or plastic underneath to prevent weeds it might be preventing the water from draining properly. <A> Do you have a sump pump? <A> With a slab, your only option is grading the soil around the house exterior. <S> It should be highest right next to the foundation and slope downward away from the house. <S> Normally this is done with soil grade, drains, drainpipe, ditches, pumps, etc. <S> depending on the likelihood of flooding and the expense of construction.
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If so it may be because the sump pump is not functioning properly and not pumping the water from your foundation out, which leads to water seeping onto your floor. Further away, there should be drainage leading away from the yard so that the water can't accumulate and overrun the slope up to the house. For a more definitive answer, we'd need to see a grade schematic for your house and the surrounding area.
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Pouring concrete, is it safe to add large rocks to increase volume? Backround I'm going to pour some concrete to anchor a swing set. The base of the swing set that is being anchored is two 4x4s with a 2x4 footer crossed perpendicularly to the 4x4s . I have a bunch of large softball-sized rocks in my yard. I was thinking I could buy less concrete mix, and get rid of some of these rocks, if I threw some of the rocks into the wet concrete. I assume the concrete will harden around the rocks and they will set together to become a solid mass. Question Is my assumption correct? or will the rocks damage the integrity of the concrete anchor? Here is a drawing of posts and anchor (with rocks depicted) Update I poured the cement in June 2015 (about a year and a half ago). The swingset is still standing strong. The biggest takeaway from this experience is the consistancy of wet cement. I assumed it was like latex paint, but it was more like thick oatmeal or damp sand. It didn't really pour and fill up all available space. I had to spoon it in with a shovel and pat it down into place around the posts. <Q> Concrete is a mix of large aggregate, small aggregate, and cement (a 4:2:1 ratio is a good approximation - though designed mixes will be more calculated than that). <S> In this case there won't be a problem at all using softball-sized rocks. <S> Just make sure that they are clean (ie don't have soil stuck to them). <S> (I remember seeing a section cut through a piece of concrete at the Hoover Dam Visitor Centre, and some of the large aggregate in that was rocks up to perhaps about 8 inch / 200mm or more). <A> With regard to using wood posts in concrete: Note that any water that drains down the side of the wood post will drain through to the subsoil. <S> The post should be in a collar, not a cup... <S> (Feel free to integrate into the answer of @sch ) <A> Reducing the amount of Portland Cement in the concrete will reduce its strength. <S> That is, adding rocks to an already-blended mixture of concrete <S> will reduce its strength over the same mix without the rocks. <S> If this weren't true, they would just add rock to the original mix, since rocks are way cheaper than Portland Cement. <S> The other issue, as John mentions, is that the bond with your yard rocks may not be as strong as with the aggregates that the concrete mix people are using, as those aggregates have to conform to certain standards. <S> Any powder, salt, or oil that is on the surface of the rocks will change the bond it will form with the cement. <S> Having said all that, whether this will impact your specific design just depends on how critical it is that your concrete perform per its design specs, ie, how much you've overengineered your design. <S> However, you are certainly introducing a large unknown by adding the rocks. <A> It is not good practice to bury wood in concrete as you depict. <S> Best to usemetal anchored in the concrete and attach the wood to the metal. <S> Your resultwill be inevitable rot and failure, probably not before the kids outgrow itbut maybe. <S> Something like this ( http://milspecanchors.com/shop/accessories/6x6-post-anchor-heavy-duty-cast-aluminum-structural-ornamental/ ) would be better, but you will need some additional diagonal bracing for a swing set. <S> Your design isrigid but short lived even with creosoted lumber. <S> As to the rocks, they neitheradd nor detract to the concrete, use them at will. <A> My God, yes to the above answers if you were building a very serious structure. <S> Yes less Portland the less PSI. <S> 6 sack Portland cement is about 4000 psi. <S> You can drive a 10,000 pond bull dozer on it all day. <S> % sack which you can buy at Home Depot is about 3000-3500 psi. <S> It is pier size. <S> Dig a 12" x 2' and add some of your rocks, your swing set will be fine! <A> People have bound stone in concrete since... <S> well, since they started using concrete. <S> but it matters what sort of rock you are adding. <S> Adding round igneous rock isn't as good as adding broken igneous rock but both are better than adding sedimentary or aggregate rock. <S> I'd support using a metal or plastic socket to seat your wooden posts as they will rot otherwise. <S> At least with a socket you can replace the posts over time without having to dig up your concrete anchor. <S> I'd disagree about forming a collar though. <S> Not because it's not a good solution <S> but it's not good for this use case. <S> A collar is just something for the little ones to get hurt on. <S> Indeed, I'd set my post anchors so that there is a few inches of dirt above <S> so I could grow some grass around the posts. <S> A quick splash of creosote up to ground level will help keep the water out of the wood and since you are using a socket you can treat it every 3-4 years. <S> This is all rather academic. <S> In fact, almost any concrete, with or without stones will be more than adequate. <S> You aren't expecting it to support a great weight or handle huge stresses. <S> It's a swing set, not an antenna array pylon. <A> You need the concrete to be strong at the bottom and next to the post, otherwise it just needs to be heavy. <S> So put some concrete in the bottom, the rocks round the sides and fill the center up with concrete. <S> You can even brace the post with a few bricks on two sides of the post <S> least most of the post clear, then fill round with concrete. <S> The concrete only needs to grip the post and have enough wight to keep the post stable.
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I don't think adding rock is a bad idea in principle The size of the large aggregate isn't particularly important, unless you are working in very tight spaces or around reinforcement, in which case you want suitably small aggregate. It is pier size that matters.
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What finish should I use for concrete on stairs? I want to remove the carpets on the stairs in my duplex. it is a concrete staircase.I think I would need to repair it and then I want to coat it and leave it bare.what would be a good coat to use? Paint? epoxy? I do not want it to be slippery and if possible I want to allow the concrete to absorb heat during the day in winter when the sun shines on it so that at night it can release the heat. <Q> You don't have to finish them. <S> If you like the look of concrete, you can leave it as-is. <S> You can then seal it with a variety of clear coat products. <S> Epoxy based clear coats are more durable, though harder to apply. <S> You can even just apply a wax as a final protective coat if you like. <A> You can then put an anti-friction tread on the stairs themselves. <S> These range from simple tapes to high-friction pads that you glue down. <A> Look into a product called CHEM-TRETE (and similar) <S> http://www.protectosil.com/product/protectosil/us/products/water-repellents/protectosil-chem-trete-40-voc/pages/default.aspx . <S> I think you have to purchase through a VAR or other licensed service provider, but the stuff penetrates concrete and alters the chemical structure such that it repels water. <S> This would allow you to avoid any coatings or future maintenance hassles.
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If you do want to finish, I'd suggest a concrete stain. There are special paints/coatings for outdoor/rugged floors which are usually epoxy based.
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