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Why did my installer install 1/4 round corners like this and how can I fix it? We had a guy come by to finish some previous tile work we had done. The morning of finishing the tile, he called and said he couldn't get the grout to stick along the edges, and it was just going under the baseboards and not setting up. He suggested we instead install 1/4 round to cover the edges. I was fine with this, but the corners look... not right? Considering these pieces are cut, do I have any options to fix this without buying more 1/4 round? <Q> That's the worst job I've ever seen at installing quarter round. <S> As others have said, your installer was incredibly lazy. <S> A simple 45° miter is the simplest for both inside and outside corners. <S> If you want to get fancy, you can cope one of the pieces. <S> Both of these joints look identical when they're installed. <S> ( Image Source ) <S> For the bare ends that stop at a non-corner location, you can do either a mitered return, or just miter the outside edge at 45° and let it angle up against the wall/cabinets. <S> ( Image Source ) <S> As for your questions about fixing the quarter round without buying new, you can probably get away with doing so for your cabinets, but not on the inside corners. <S> For the cabinets, it will look a lot more natural if you miter the ends so they taper back up against the cabinet. <S> For the corners, you could buy a short length (12-24" or so) and splice it by cutting back the existing quarter round a slightly smaller distance. <S> Then miter or cope the new piece appropriately. <A> Exceptionally unprofessional work. <S> The quarter rounds should be mitered together at a minimum. <S> They're not even touching at all in your second and third pictures. <S> It's just cosmetic, though. <S> Not gonna hurt anything except your aesthetic preferences. <A> I agree with ILikeDirt; This installation is awful. <S> I think the best thing to do is to remove all of the quarter round around the cabinets. <S> It should setup fine and stay looking good for a number of years. <S> One thing you will want to make sure to do is tape off the area with masking/painter's tape. <S> You don't want to get the caulk on your woodwork or tile. <S> FYI quarter round is not the correct type of molding for that purpose. <S> The installer should have used shoe molding which looks similar, but has a slightly different contour. <A> Your second and third photos show where the thin piece of wood that is used to cover the end of the toe kick should be cut to the height of the quarter round. <S> Heres 2 photos enter link description here <A> That is some shoddy work. <S> Mitering 45 <S> ° angles in wood trim is standard practice for any carpenter or handyman. <S> I'm appalled at the "nerve" that a person would do this and say "I'm done" and expect payment. <S> Ugh.
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Before I install the quarter round I use a scrap piece of quarter round and a saw or an oscillating tool and cut them to the right height. There are several different techniques that could be used for terminating the corner rounds in both the corners and at the ends. To fill the gaps, try to use a sanded caulk that is roughly the same color as your grout.
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Why won't my new powerstroke 5kW generator start? I purchased a power stroke 5,000 watt generator about a year ago. Only recently there have been some power issues in my area, which made me decide to take it out and get it ready. I purchased new gas & oil, but it would not start. I tried spraying gas in the carb, and still nothing. Any suggestions? <Q> Most engines don't like to start after extended storage. <S> One cause is a dry cylinder bore which prevents compression. <S> Solution: pull the spark plug and squirt a generous amount of oil into the cylinder. <S> Like 25% of displacement. <S> Turn the generator so the cylinder is vertical and leave it for a few hours so the oil can flow into the piston grooves. <S> Return it to upright for 30 minutes (so fluids can drain to the proper position). <S> Very important : Cover the spark plug hole with paper towel and crank for 5-10 seconds. <S> A considerable amount of oil should blow out of the plug hole. <S> Now replace the plug and try starting again. <A> Three things are required: spark, fuel, and compression. <S> Some generators have a low oil pressure cut off switch. <S> check if the wires are on it. <S> Look again for a stop/run switch. <S> I have never seen a generator without a fuel shutoff valve, so carefully check again. <S> You could also take the fuel line off the carburetor and see if gas is making it that fare. <S> Compression: does it take force to pull the starter rope, or is it electric start? <S> If electric, do you hear the compression strokes. <S> Or does it sound the same as if the spark plug was out. <S> There are some shade-tree ways for checking for spark that I'm sure you can find on the internet. <S> Don't want to mention here because I will get negative reps for suggesting something dangerous. <A> Pull cord. <S> Does cord pull or just stop stuck? <S> If stuck, then pistons or cord are jammed. <S> Disconnect spark plug. <S> Pull cord. <S> Does spark appear? <S> If no spark appears, problem is electrical. <S> Only thing left is fuel. <S> Clean everything.
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Cylinders could be flooded, or carburetor is not working or fuel line is blocked. Check it for continuity with a meter.
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Do I need a regulator to connect a tankless water heater to a 20 lb. propane tank? I am going to hook a tankless water heater to a 20lb propane tank. Do I need a regulator coming off of the propane tank? <Q> @Pigrew is right in the comments. <S> My previous answer was wrong and dangerous. <S> Do not supply 30 psi of propane to a tankless water heater. <S> New Answer: <S> Older homes could have a much lower pressure from the meter negating the need for regulators on each piece of equipment. <S> Pressure in a propane tank, large or small, can range between 100 and 200 psi . <S> An <S> example tankless water heater specs list a maximum gas pressure of .5 <S> psi . <S> Once we get into pressures this low, people start using the unit inches of WC <S> (Water Column) instead of psi . <S> The standard pressure that household appliances typically need is 11" WC . <S> You will need two regulators. <S> You will need one regulator to take the tank pressure (up to 200 psi) to down to a household line pressure (2psi). <S> You will also need a regulator to take the household pressure down to the 11" WC needed by your hot water heater. <S> The reason you need two is because that is a large pressure difference and there are limits to the abilities of regulators. <S> There is a bit of fudge factor though. <S> You could get a regulator that outputs 10 psi fir the first one if you can get a regulator with an inlet pressure over 10 psi (and outlet pressure of 11" WC) for the second one. <S> There is another factor to consider when choosing a regulator: flow rate. <S> All of this adds up to the suggestion that you call a professional because explosive compressed gas in your home where your family sleeps isn't the best thing to be playing around with. <A> In order to use propane, the appliance needs to be converted, and you will need a regulator: By default, most gas-fueled appliances are sold configured for natural gas (methane) and NOT propane. <S> Because of the chemical differences, propane requires a different ratio of fuel to air in order to burn properly. <S> This is accomplished by changing the fuel nozzle in the appliance. <S> Most appliances will come with both styles, so often you will already have the parts that you need for this. <S> If it is reconfigured, the flame temperature will be wrong and soot will be deposited. <S> The second thing to worry about is the pressure. <S> Propane tanks provide 100-200 PSI. <S> If hooked up directly to the appliance, it WILL damage the valve and regulator inside of the appliance. <S> One water heater <S> I just examined requires a pressure of between 8 and 13 inches of water for propane. <S> Your water heater is likely similar, but do check its manual. <S> This required pressure is approximately 0.4 psi (very low)! <S> Also, be sure to store your propane tank outdoors. <S> They are not designed to be stored indoors. <S> You may want to buy an outdoor water heater. <S> Because of safety issues, you may want a professional to do the plumbing. <A> The regulator for a Camco Wave Heater is 0.4 pounds (11 in. <S> wc) and commonly available. <S> Also, is rated up to 70,000 btu/hr. <S> Just purchased one with hose for around $30 and is connected directly to a 20 lb, propane tank.
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According to Rheem (a manufacturer of tankless gas water heaters) and The West Virginia Propane Gas Association , modern homes have a 2 psi supply line from the meter with regulators on each piece of equipment to lower the pressure more. The regulator will have to be sized properly based on the flow rate needed and the pipes used.
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Can I use an outlet splitter with my air conditioner? I live in an old apartment building, and there is only a single outlet anywhere near the only window in my living room. My Air Conditioner works great with it, but now I can't use the desk lamp and digital piano that were plugged into that outlet (with a splitter) while the A/C is running without running an extension cord across the floor. I realize that you're never supposed to use power strips or extension cords with air conditioners, but there are ones that are apparently meant for this. However, I can't find any that are splitters (i.e. they all are just one male to one female). I don't need an extension cord per se - just a splitter, like this . This is rated for 15 amps, and the A/C says it's only 6.3 amps, so I'm assuming it's ok (not sure what the piano is, but it uses a thin cord without a ground so I assume it's not much). Would that be ok? Side question - even the cheapest power strips I can find are rated for 15 amps - and from what I can tell, the household outlets are usually 15 amps. So why can't I just use any power strip or extension cord, if the A/C only pulls 6.3 amps? <Q> Your AC only draws 6.3amps when its running. <S> But when it turns on, for a moment as the motors start, it draws significantly more. <S> Many window air conditioners say in the manual that they need a dedicated circuit because of this. <S> These startup surges may melt cheap powerbars and splitters, eventually causing enough damage to be a fire hazard. <S> Additionally, those surges cause the voltage to drop which can wreak havoc on delicate electronics like an electric piano. <S> Usually not destructive, but enough to make it malfunction. <S> Assuming you cant get permission to have more outlets installed, run an extension cord, preferably for the other electronics near the window. <S> Make sure that extension runs to an outlet on another circuit, and that no other large loads or sensitive electronics are on that circuit. <A> I'm in Australia <S> so I'm not sure if my answer would be completely applicable in your circumstance. <S> We have 240V here <S> so 10A max... <S> Anyway I'll let you be the judge of whether what I say will be relevant to you or not... <S> Personally I would buy a good quality powerboard (you guys seem to call them a powerstrip) and test it out myself. <S> Here in Australia the good quality ones have built in surge protection and load protection. <S> Like Grant said your AC will draw more than the 6.3A when it kicks in, but with a decent quality powerboard the load protection will switch it off if it draws too much power. <A> Power strips, formally called Relocatable Power Taps (RPT), are universally discouraged by fire protection authorities for long term use. <S> Where they are tolerated, daisy chaining them is "bad" as explained here and by <S> IFC 605.4.2 (2009) : <S> Relocatable power taps shall be directly connected to permanently installed receptacles. <S> Your air conditioner nominally uses 6.3 amps, which is a cakewalk for a 15 amp circuit. <S> Elevated current also occurs at exceptional events like restarting after a power interruption while the high pressure side is still fully pressurized. <S> During these times the current can easily reach 15 amps for a second or two and may maintain 12+ amps for almost a minute. <S> Instead of messing around with the air conditioner, I would plug it in directly at the window. <S> Then install a long extension cord to snake around the room to provide power for the electrically tame lamp and piano from another outlet.
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Even when using an extension cord or power strip without protective components, the fact of adding more connections (plug + socket) provides greater voltage loss and heating, with potential for a runaway thermal meltdown: as a connection heats up, its resistance increases causing it to heat up more. However, it is normal for the a/c to use more power during startup when first turned on and each time the thermostat makes a fresh call for cooling. It won't do your wiring any damage and you'll know that it won't work!
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How can I stop this window from sliding down? I have what I think is a single-hung window that keeps sliding down (when it's open). I do not see any way to remove the sash (so that I can access the spring mechanism). All instructions I see on the web claim that there is either a release mechanism on the top of the sash or take out clips on both sides of the window frame. However, I see neither. Additionally, I do not know my window manufacturer and cannot find any marking on the window. Link to the pictures of my window is provided. Click for larger view Pictures: Top of sash Frame above sash Frame below (open) sash Bottom of (open) sash connecting to the frame My questions are: What kind of a window is this? (e.g. single-hung?) How can I fix it to stop sliding down? If I need to remove the sash first, how do I do it? <Q> You can keep the dowel on the sill when you're not using it. <A> It's a single hung window. <S> I don't know the brand. <S> It appears that to remove the sash that the channel (the channel that contains the copper colored spring in the last picture) must be retractable (probably spring loaded). <S> So I'd push the channel back into the slot it's in. <S> If I'm guessing correctly, when you apply pressure the channel will retract away from contact with the sash, which will leave the sash free to pivot away from the channel on which you're pushing. <S> However, it looks to me like the copper colored spring is intended, via friction, to keep the sash from gravity dropping. <S> If the inside of that channel has been oiled, that would explain a lot. <S> But the spring may just as well snap. <S> So it's dicey. <S> Hope this helps. <A> Go to your local bike store and ask for carbon seatpost gel. <S> A tube should be around $10/10€. <S> It contains friction enhancing components that should reduce sliding. <S> Use just a tiny bit and on both sides at the same time.
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If you can get the sash out, then get the spring out, you may be able to bend the spring so that it increases its friction in the channel. A wooden dowel sawed off to the right length to prop the window open is the traditional answer.
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How can I hang a plywood sign by the edge? I am remaking my road sign using a 3/4 sheet of HDO. (Not MDO) It 5' wide by 3' tall, and double sided. The old one had brackets that bolted through the face but they will not fit with the vinyl sign that's going to be attached. They are also rusted and I can not find more. Plan B is to pre-drill holes into the top edge and screw in course eye loops. Maybe with some epoxy to really secure them. Would this be able to handle the weight of the sign itself? The only extra weight is the vinyl and paint. and its only about 50% of the full sheet. Plan C might be making a metal frame that screws into the side edges. I could spread the weight among 3 screws along each edge. I would only want to do this if there was no hope for Plan B. Any insight into how well ether option might work is greatly appreciated. <Q> Using fasteners into the edges of plywood is almost always to be discouraged because the threads of screws or lag bolt type fasteners just do not hold very well. <S> In the case of a sign the hole in the top edge invites the possibility of moisture intrusion and the separation of layers which can further weaken an edge joint. <S> There are various types of hanger brackets that can be used for a face drilled fastener in the sign. <S> Here is a picture of one type that could be used: <A> The pullout strength screwing into the edge might be questionable. <S> Use shackle brackets and through bolt it, front to back. <S> This would give you eyelets to hang it from. <S> Shackle Mounting Bracket: ( expeditionexchange.com ) <S> The red pin would be removed and a through bolt used in its place. <S> Be sure that the 3/4 ply and the vinyl sign will both slip into the throat of the bracket. <S> Shown is an example only, I'd take it over to the lumber isle and test fit it. <S> I suppose you could just use the pin that comes with it (which is intended to be removed easily) <S> but I'd prefer a lock nut or a double nut. <S> All hardware should be stainless or galvanized. <S> Also, completely encapsulate the wood with paint. <S> You could improvise with a similar bracket, or even a strip of flexible metal, but anything you use should go through the face, not into the sides. <S> A cheaper (assuming you have on hand) and less esthetic solution would be to use short lengths of chain, washers and bolts. <S> Options B and C: Would this be able to handle the weight of the sign itself? <S> Yes. <S> Would the Big Bad Wolf come and huff and puff and blow my sign down? <S> Yes. <A> There are two ways I like to hang signs: either oversize the sign substrate so you can bolt through the borders without damaging the sign face or for a borderless sign mount the substrate with elevator bolts (like carriage bolts but with a flat face), fill, sand, paint and then glue on or paint the sign text. <S> The only time I end screw plywood is when I want ihe bucket of slime <S> I hung from it to fall after I left. <A> Easy just thru - bolt it with eye hooks. <S> Not every question is difficult to answer.
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A large sign should be hung with a fastener that is passes through a hole that is drilled through the face of the plywood.
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Why would the receptacles in the kitchen not have power after replacing one of them? I replaced a receptacle, and made sure the wires were in the same order they were originally in when I hooked them back up. I turned power back on and there was no power to the receptacle I changed, or to three other receptacles. None of my breakers were tripped. I reset all of the circuit breakers just to make sure, and I still have no power in the affected receptacles. Can you think of what could be the problem? <Q> They should be pig-tied inside the j-box. <S> Turn off the breaker for that circuit, pull apart the wires and make sure they're all secure. <S> FWIW, the hot goes to the small side of the outlet and the neutral to the wide side (green or bare goes to the ground prong if the outlet has a ground). <A> I'm picking this up from our comments. <S> So this isn't a GFCI. <S> Although if it's in the kitchen, and isn't protected by an upstream GFCI receptacle, and isn't protected by a GFCI circuit breaker in the panel, maybe it should be a GFCI. <S> Did the old receptacle work at all before you removed it, or had it stopped working completely? <S> Was the hot-side (darker colored terminals) <S> tab removed on the old receptacle (or were both removed)? <S> I suspect not, since your breakers aren't tripping, but worth noting anyway. <S> One black/white pair in that outlet box is (99.999% certainty) going to be power coming into the box, and the other pair will be power feeding the other outlets that went dead when the new receptacle was installed. <S> If the tab(s) on the new receptacle are removed, then power can't feed through to the downstream receptacles. <S> Personally, I would "pigtail" the black, white and ground wires in the box so they feed straight through to the other boxes without going through the receptacle, then you only have to connect one each of the black, white and grounding wires to the new receptacle. <A> I'm gonna go with tripped GFI <S> somewhere you're not aware of.
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My guess is that when you pulled on the wires to get to them, the hot (red or black) wire feeding the circuit came loose.
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Bathroom exhaust fan turn on with light or independent switch I have two toggle switches, one for the bathroom light and one for the exhaust fan to operate independantly. Each has it's own 14-2 wire run to it from the switch. I want the fan to come on always with the light (which it does not now) but also keep the ability to turn on the fan and let it run longer with the lights off (use it independantly). Is there some way to wire this or use 3-way switches to accomplish it as the kids do not always turn on the fan when showering... <Q> Install a humidity sensor fan control, like this one from Leviton. <S> It will automatically turn on the fan, when it senses excess humidity in the room. <S> humidity sensor fan control http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/43/43ea781d-e83f-41d3-98c2-90fec341f3c6_300.jpg <S> You should be able to find them from other manufacturers as well, this was simply the first example I found when searching. <A> To actually do what you asked, rather than push a different solution... <S> You can't simply tie the two switches together, or the light will come on with the fan (as well as the fan coming on with the light.) <S> While my default in this sort of situation is to reach for a relay, there is a simpler solution for the specific case you ask for. <S> Replace the light switch with a DUAL-POLE (or double-pole) switch (not a 3 or 4 way.) <S> That's one switch with two independent single pole switches operated in tandem by one handle. <S> Wire one side to the light, wire the other side to the fan. <S> The fan switch and the fan side of the dual pole light/fan switch can be tied together, and will not cause the light to come on when only the fan switch is on, since the two sides of a dual pole switch are independent of each other. <A> switch <S> operation------ <S> ------ <S> ------------------off <S> off dark and quietoff on fan onon off light and fan <S> both onon on light and fan both on With this design, the FAN switch is usually off and most bathroom users flip the LIGHT switch when entering and leaving. <S> PRO: Operation is very natural. <S> When you have the fan running independently and someone uses the bathroom, they will habitually flip the LIGHT switch when leaving, and your fan will keep running. <S> CON: You must find and purchase a double-pole switch. <S> Single-pole solution (for the genuine cheapskate): light fanswitch <S> switch <S> operation------ <S> ------ <S> ------------------off <S> off dark and quietoff on fan onon off dark and quieton on light and fan both on With this design, the LIGHT switch is usually left on and most bathroom users flip the FAN switch when entering and leaving. <S> PRO: <S> Only a single-pole switch is needed, which you already have. <S> CON: Operation may confuse kids. <S> Your leaving the fan run independently will not survive the kids next visit to the bathroom, because when entering they will habitually flip the FAN switch but the light won't come on. <S> Then, when leaving, they will habitually and thoughtlessly flip the FAN switch, turning everything off.
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They will then mess with the switches until the light is on (with the fan). Double-pole solution (Ecnerwal's answer): light fanswitch They are very common in "not a lightswitch" format but findable in lightswitch format, usually with the intent of switching 240V loads, but you don't have to use them that way (and would not be in this case.)
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Best way to weatherproof OSB I am building a shed and I am trying to do it as cheaply as possible. I am going to use 1/2" OSB for the siding and I am wondering what the best paint/sealer is to weatherproof it. We live in central Ohio, so it will take quite a beating from rain and snow. Thanks! <Q> There's no such thing. <S> OSB will swell, warp, and degrade unless it's kept safe from sunlight and perfectly dry. <S> No paint will do this. <S> Vinyl siding is cheap and DIY-friendly. <S> If you want to build a shed out of a single material without needing to do any of this, I recommend concrete blocks. <A> Your reasons for needing a shed are exactly why you shouldn't use OSB as an external covering for your shed without something over it besides paint to protect it from the weather. <S> Paint is not a moisture barrier. <S> OSB grows and spreads mold exponentially faster than regular wood. <S> If you're already having mold problems using OSB at all would be pretty bad idea. <A> I know this is old <S> but.....I have A frame chicken coops made from OSB that I stain / seal with whatever deck stain Lowes has in their discount rack. <S> I don't let any part of the OSB actually touch the ground; treated wood runners for that. <S> They are several years old and holding up just fine. <S> They suck up the stain / sealer but after several coats, the water beads and runs right off. <S> No swelling and no issues on edges. <A> Have you considered using something like Thompson's Water Seal? <S> They're designed for porous materials and wick away water, but I'm not sure how they'll hold up <A> Bit of an old thread, came across it googling. <S> But for anyone else who does. <S> You can seal osb boards with bitumen paint. <S> The type that dries so its no longer wet, but still slightly soft, like firm rubber. <S> I did this for a winter shield for my outdoor aviary & its been up 6 years so so far & still in the same condition when I first put it up. <S> Bitumen paint is no different to felting it for shed roofs. <S> So long water or sunlight doesn't make direct contact, it'll be fine. <S> Just remember to cover your fixing screws with it after or water will find its way in via screw fixings. <S> If there's a will, there's always a way!
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If you want to use OSB to sheathe the walls of your shed, you need to build those walls like the walls of a house: with a weather-resistant barrier like Tyvek over the OSB, and then cover that with siding of some sort.
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Would the service breaker or sub-panel breaker trip first if they have equal ratings? I've rented a space where the transformer and main panel are fenced off and I can’t access it without calling the landlord. He lives rather far away and is the only one with the key and that kind of potential downtime would be catastrophic for my business, however I do need to pull a lot of power consistently and will be pushing it as hard as I can which means I might occasionally trip on hot days. The hypothetical setup is as follows:A new 125 A cutler hammer breaker on the service sideA new 125 A square d breaker backfeeding our main sub panel (in our building)About 120 feet of underground 3/0 aluminum between the two My question is:If our equipment pulls more that 125 A which breaker trips first, the one on the service side (outside) or the one on the load (in our building) or both? If the answer is the one on the service side or both (or either depending on manufacturing tolerance variation or whatever) my followup question is:Is there any way we can purchase or modify our inside 125 A breaker to flip at ~123 A so that it always flips first? <Q> Your question depends on very many variables. <S> 1) Are the breakers magnetic trip or thermal? <S> Which is which? <S> 2) <S> If you are using thermal breakers, which breaker is exposed to the highest ambient temperature? <S> 3) <S> What is the current profile of your high-current loads? <S> Relatively constant or fluctuating? <S> In general, it is a crap shoot as to which breaker trips first when two identically-rated breakers are in series. <S> but there are no guarantees. <S> Your best bet is to either change the breaker that you have access to down to 100 Amps or increase the feed breaker to 150 Amps. <S> I'd have to check, but I think that your 3/0 feeder cable is rated for at least 150 Amps. <S> Check with a qualified electrician to make sure. <A> There really isn't a definite answer for which trips first (under some fault conditions a short on a circuit with a 20A breaker may trip the 200A main instead - but not every time.) <S> Under most conditions, a 125A breaker won't trip at 125A unless, perhaps, you pull 125A for a LONG time. <S> How fast they trip is related to how much, and for how long, excessive current is drawn. <S> If you have a business case for needing it not to go out, you have a business case for a 200A feeder. <S> Running anything right to the limit is a recipe for failure, and that includes your electrical service feed. <S> If, for whatever reason, you cannot go to a 200A feeder, you might want to put in at minimum a current meter so that you or your employees can monitor the actual load (before turning something else on, or to know that they need to turn one off to turn another on), and on the more expensive side of things an automated load shedding system which can shut down lower-priority or non-essential loads to limit the overall draw. <S> Generally, a 200A feeder will cost considerably less than a load-shedding system. <S> Alternatively, step down to a 100A main breaker on your local breaker. <A> It depends on if the system was properly coordinated (code uses this term). <S> my current plant <S> I have a problem where a 125a load center will trip out a 800 a feeder, the trip curves were not used to set the system up ( no shorts just equipment start up) <S> this problem doesn't happen very often so the owners don't want to spend the $ to fix it. <S> You may run into a similar problem, we now have a start sequence on this load center starting the largest motor first once that is up to speed then the next largest after that all the smaller motors can be started at the same time. <S> You may need to develop a starting procedure to prevent the main from tripping.
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The breaker with the smallest amount of internal thermal heat-sinking will usually trip first
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Is this a "switched neutral" situation? Replacing switches with new ones and wanting to add a zwave dual-relay while I'm at it. It's a 3 gang box and all are on the same circuit. I have an electronics background, but no electrical experience beyond replacing switches and a couple fixtures. I understand the theory but definitely don't know if this is to code. My brief googling is telling me that it should be switched hot for safety reasons. The house was built in 1922, but it was remodeled in mid-2000 with upgraded wiring. One of the switches controls the living room light and an outlet. However, I discovered the outlet is not grounded when I took it off, so I guess not ALL the wiring were replaced. Here are pictures of the gang box. <Q> You are right to be concerned about switched neutrals . <S> A dangerous situation. <S> You can test it by using a non-contact tester similar to this one <S> Turn on the breaker (after making sure no terminals are touching anything metal). <S> Check the wires going to each of the switches. <S> If they are not, you have a switched neutral. <S> Hot should be labled black, red or blue . <S> White wires are often used for hot on switch loops, but they are supposed to be labeld black with marker, paint or tape. <S> This may be a time to call in a pro. <S> Images and links are for illustration only, not an endorsement of goods or sources. <A> OMG what a mess!!! <S> , you are correct <S> this is a switched neutral situation. <S> the white wires are neutrals and should be tied together with out a switch. <S> the black wires should go to the switches. <S> a white wire can be used on a light switch or a switched plug... <S> if it is then make sure it is the sire going to the load and not the hot side. <S> black red blue 'hot' white neutral. <A> In addition to all the other comments, I would suspect you have reversed colour code- IOW, the wiring may have been installed using white as hot FROM THE BREAKER BOX. <S> I knew of a house that was wired switched neutral all over the house BY A LICENSED CONTRACTOR. <S> The woman's son died from this gross violation. <S> Many licensed contractors hire untrained hourlies. <S> You can't trust them, nor inspectors.
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If you do find a switched neutral, you need to rewire the circuits. If wired correctly, one of each should be hot .
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Preventing Clogging/Flooding at bottom of exterior basement steps I just purchased a house this weekend, and moved in yesterday. I live in MD (USA), and there just happened to be a torrential downpour yesterday after we moved in. I went downstairs to check my sump pumps, and then checked the door leading to by basement as I was instructed to. My sumps were fine, but the water level at the back door had climbed to just below the bottom of the door! Five more minutes, and I would have had water issues the first day in the house! Just to give you an example of what I am talking about, the steps to the basement look like this. This isn't my basement, but it's pretty identical. The drain at the bottom had been clogged, and I had to go outside to unclog the drain. Luckily, the water drained almost instantly, and the crisis was averted. Still, it made me extremely nervous and I want to do all I can to prevent this in the future. So, what can I do to prevent this from happening again? Obviously, maintenance will help, but making sure it is clean every time it rains requires that I be home. Trimming the foliage around the steps will also help, but I'm looking for a more permanent, less maintenance solution. I thought of a few options that might work.. Putting a metal grating at the bottom of the steps covered in screen material to increase the surface area of the drain and make it virtually impossible that the entire thing gets clogged. Put an awning over the steps / extending the roof to prevent water from falling directly into the stairway. Raising the door / higher step going into the basement (worst of the bunch, in my opinion) Putting a dome over the drain that is specially made for this. Much like option 1, it increases the surface area of the filter/drain. Though this creates a tripping hazard, which isn't that big of a deal considering we plan on never using those stairs anyway. Sealing off that damn door since we will never be using it, and getting rid of the stairs. I'd prefer not to do this, but if the door wasn't there in the first place, I never would have complained. Thoughts? Thanks! <Q> Same sort of basement entry here in Seattle. <S> Intermittent flooding and the hassle of sweeping wet leaves out of the stairwell for too many years. <S> I love my current solution. <S> A friend drilled support-heavy screws into the concrete foundation. <S> One end of the wood rests on the screw-supports. <S> The other end rests on the concrete on the other side of the stairwell. <S> (3 pieces because they are heavy - so the dog would not crash through if he walked on them.)Rain <S> rotted my first try <S> , so I bought sheets of that rippled Fiberglas roofing type material and cut them to size. <S> If you get the picture, you’ll be able to figure out how to keep water from getting into the wood through the seams in the Fiberglas. <S> The stairwell stays dry all winter. <S> I can store lawn chairs and such down there. <S> The cat can go there and sleep. <S> I can still access the stairwell if I need to get out fast by crawling out or lifting the plywood from below. <S> If you don’t have animals, you might be able to use just the Fiberglas sheets. <S> PS make sure this cover slants so the rain runs off. <S> My screw supports are just a little under the siding. <A> 1, 2, 4 or the variant of 4 that is a raised perforated pipe; or the variant of 1 & 4 that is cutting a hole for a large filter-basket below the current floor level - but you probably don't need to "clean it every time it rains" - in all liklihood, checking it once a week or so and cleaning it as needed will suffice, with a possible need to check more in fall when the leaves come off trees. <A> The grating seems like the best solution. <S> Not only will it increase the surface area of the drain, but also aids in cleaning the steps/landing because it can be picked up in one piece, taken to the top of the steps, and shaken off. <S> PVC drainage tile such as <S> this is the way to go. <S> They last forever, can be cut easily with a hacksaw (or even better, a band saw), and much, much cheaper. <S> They are specifically made for this purpose. <A> I have the same problem. <S> Egress steps with small drain at the bottom. <S> My problem is not the rain/water, but the leaves from trees that seem to blow under the deck and right into that area. <S> I bought the house 11 years ago <S> and it got under the door the first week <S> (the previous owners did not tell me about the problem). <S> I bought a piece to set in the drain hole (atrium). <S> Couple bucks at hardware store. <S> My son fashioned out of screen wire covered in plastic (small holes) a little top hat which works well for the water but still had problems with the leaves. <S> He then made a frame to cover the top of the steps and covered the frame in screen wire. <S> Problem solved ... <S> EXCEPT I can't use the door at all (bummer). <S> My next step is to extend my deck over the steps and cover it. <S> Will have to stoop down to get out, but better than not being able to use it at all. <S> Whoever thought Egress steps were a wonderful idea ... never had to contend with the aggravation of this issue! <A> I have the same issue at my home , I am going to put in a new patio which leads to the stairwell . <S> The patio will be pitched more so water is diverted away from the stairwell . <S> I am also considering installing an overflow drain within the riser which makes up the door threshold base , much like an overflow drain on a bathtub . <A> We had a similar issue: a walkout basement with one small drain that got covered with leaves and other plant debris when it rained hard. <S> I searched quite a bit for a solution, but ended up coming up with a new idea that worked great. <S> My solution was to purchase a large, mosquito net and cover the stairs and floor of the walkout area. <S> We placed small heavy tiles on the side of each step and near the edges of the net to make sure no debris got under the net. <S> We also placed an upside down plastic plant container near the drain to raise the height of the net to further increase the surface area. <S> The net works like a dream and is so fine it captures all kinds of debris well before the drain area. <S> I used to have to check the steps during every storm (we just refinished our basement) but last week I was gone on vacation and we had several thunderstorms with heavy downpours. <S> The net worked and best of all I don't have to fiddle with it. <S> Here's the net I got from Amazon. <S> Mosquito Bug Insect <S> Bird Net Barrier Hunting Blind Garden Netting <S> For Protect Your Plant Fruits Flower (8Ft x 20Ft)
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In addition I am going to increase the depth of the base of the stairwell and install a trench drain ( more surface area to allow for more drainage , less likely to clog ) . We cut 3 pieces of heavy duty plywood to cover the space and fit around the bases of the railing at the top. However metal grating can be expensive, hard to work with, find in the correct size/hole size, and most importantly, will rust - thus needing to be replaced, and staining the concrete in the process.
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My new drywall patch is thinner than the old one? Why? I purchased two large sheets of drywall for my garage ceiling and to patch some large holes on the wall. I installed wood strips to support the drywall patch. Everything went smoothly until I test fitted the new patch. For some unknown reason, the new patch is about 1/16 to slightly more than 1/8 thinner the the old patch, creating a noticeable inset. The edges are not flush anywhere around the patch. I encountered this problem before when I used 1/2" instead of 5/8". I made sure to get 5/8" this time. I went to the trouble of measuring the thickness with a caliper and the new was 5/8" and the old was .647. I do understand that drywall is slightly tapered on the edges. I also went to the trouble of screwing down the drywall edges of both to ensure they are seated correctly. The finish on the old drywall cannot account for the discrepancies in thicknesses. What gives and how do I level it out without making a big huge mess? EDIT: Turns out the sheetrock is the same thickness, but the studs are not straight. I realized that the sheetrock screwed to the laths was on the same plane as the old drywall, but the ones screwed onto the studs were off, sometimes significantly. I really need to get out of the woodworker and machinist precision mentality and realize construction has a much higher error margin. <Q> Pro installers will install drywall over irregular framing, which can give the impression of thicker sheets. <S> Drywall can be skimcoated with setting joint compound. <S> This can be as thick as 1/4 inch, in some cases. <S> Originally, the skim was done with plaster <S> In any case, you should fill with a setting compound mixed a bit stiffly and taper out 12 inches for a invisible joint. <A> Shim with cardboard to bring your new piece flush. <S> Or use a ton of mud. <A> As others have stated, you can basically mud the difference. <S> I'm new to home repairs, but if I'm not mistaken you have to mud anyway <S> right? <S> The seams between the new patch and the old drywall have to be taken care of somehow. <S> You can't really use pre-mixed joint compound , because it's a ceiling and that stuff is too thin; it will fall down on you <S> and I've personally only used it on the wall, not ceiling. <S> I went through this recently ( <S> Having to patch a few holes in the ceiling in my new to me home), and I paid a pro to do it and he used 5 minute mud after drilling in a drywall patch. <S> I don't know if this was the exact product he used <S> but it was something similar... <S> i.e. it's not pre-mixed. <S> You have to add water and mix it to a thick compound. <S> You also have to be quick because it literally dries in 5 minutes or shortly after. <S> (i.e. can dry in your tray). <S> http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12789433&KPID=12562674&kpid=12562674&pla=pla_12562674 <S> Hope this helps. <A> If your wiling to change the look of your ceiling, you could tape the seams like you normally would, and skim coat and texture the whole ceiling with a heavy nap roller, then knockdown the peaks with a spackle knife. <S> That would camouflage any inconsistencies in thickness if you did it with some finesse... <A> There are some great answers here, but I found the solution to the problem or rather avoiding the problem altogether. <S> I want to document it so others can learn from my mistakes. <S> If you are going to patch drywall, the thing is to cut a patch such that the studs are revealed. <S> This presumably will give you something to screw the drywall to. <S> This however, is wrong. <S> The drywall patch will often not sit flush with the existing surface. <S> The main reason is that the drywall sags over time and it pulls away from the stud. <S> Also, the studs are usually not level either, so the drywall bends to match the contour. <S> Drywall installation techniques are employed to create this illusion. <S> The solution, is to mend the patch to the exiting drywall by screwing wooden slats around the edges of the existing drywall hole and then screwing the patch onto the slats. <S> This will make it flush against the drywall and not the studs. <S> Regardless, this doesn't answer the problem once you've encountered it, but hopefully it will prevent you from arriving at the problem. <S> I've learned to not overthink problems and there is more than meets the eye.
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This also creates gaps between the drywall and the studs. If you look at a wall, you would be visually tricked into thinking it is flat, when it isn't.
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1960s bomb shelter a safe place to wait out a tornado? I have a 1960s 10x12x8 ft concrete room. It was built under our concrete kitchen floor which is at ground level in 1963. The concrete is 12" thick, except for the ceiling which would be about 24" thick. I do not know if it is rebar reinforced. It has a 36 inch doorway opening in the basement and is otherwise 100% concrete. The doorway just has a simple hollow core door. This was built in the 1960s when everyone was afraid of nukes. In recent years however we've received a lot of local tornadoes that touch down within miles of me. Last night we had one right on top of us (took out a few houses near us) and we all used this as a shelter. Is this a decent shelter or not? What should be done to it in order to make it a safe shelter? Assuming it should have some sort of shelter grade door instead of the interior hollow-core it has now? There is no venting in there either. It appears to be the start of a bomb shelter that was never finished. <Q> I agree with @paul: the room should be adequate for protection from a tornado. <S> However, a bomb shelter was/is designed with different assumptions than what one would design a storm cellar for, primarily that once the bomb shelter is occupied, that there would be no hurry in opening the door for quite awhile. <S> A hollow core door is something of a concern due to over-pressurization and under-pressurization between the room and the kitchen during a storm <S> could (and probably will) bust up the door and turn it into nasty projectiles. <S> A nice heavy solid core door is much more likely to perform satisfactorily. <S> It is possibly better to have no door than a hollow core. <S> Items to consider adding: A cell phone repeater located just outside the shelter should easily be able to receive cell phones from inside where the 12–24 inches of concrete might make cell phones otherwise useless. <S> A pry bar, handsaw (for cutting lumber), hacksaw (for cutting rebar ), and sledgehammer would be good insurance inside to be sure you can get out when it is time. <S> Several battery powered lights Plenty of water and food <S> A porta-toilet First aid kit <S> You are carrying your cell phone into the shelter with you, right? <S> In all likelihood, you would be in the shelter for only a few minutes less than once a year. <S> But having the supplies to be comfortable for several days is great insurance even for non-tornado events when you wouldn't even use the shelter. <A> As a rough guess, 24 inches of concrete should be able to handle a house falling on it. <S> Certainly better than the basement bathroom. <S> I would change the cheap door for a solid wood one just on general principle though. <S> You want it to open in, otherwise one fallen beam in an otherwise clear basement could lock you in there for a while. <S> Put a small saw in the room. <S> The lack of ventilation makes sense - the last thing you want after a nearby nuclear blast is an outside air vent. <A> But if you're going to have something in the same building, this sounds like a pretty good situation. <S> The main risk in a tornado is not actually building collapse but flying debris, and being in the basement makes this basically a non-issue. <S> I wouldn't bother reinforcing the door since you're below ground; there won't be much debris blowing around. <S> I don't know where you are or how long tornado warnings last, but if it were me I would just put a couple jugs of water and some energy bars in there and not worry about it too much. <S> Honestly the risk of death from a tornado is extremely low. <S> According to NOAA it's about 60 per year. <S> Compare that to 600 accidental gun deaths; 3000 killed in building fires; 13,000 by skin cancer; and 33,000 killed in car accidents. <A> I recommend using the basement shelter as your back-up plan, but also installing a below-ground shelter in your yard, assuming you can place it 100-250 feet from your house. <S> If you need to shelter and can safely make it outside, go to that shelter. <S> If you can't go outside, go to the basement. <S> There are many bad things that can happen in a house which has been struck by a tornado - in addition to your house collapsing in, or debris impeding your way out, <S> if a tornado strikes your house, it could cause a fire, flooding, electrical shock risk, or explosions. <S> Being in a storm shelter even 100 feet away greatly reduces your risk.
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Ideally a storm shelter should be located nearby but away from the house, so that there is no risk of the structure collapsing and trapping the occupants. Also that there is little need for outside communication since it is generally assumed that the phone company is gone and probably all radio stations.
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Is it alright to run furnace and turn off gas? Is running a furnace with the gas pipe shut can cause any harm to furnace? <Q> I presume you want to do this just to circulate air? <S> Do you have a thermostat connected to the furnace? <S> If you do, you might have an option to turn the blower on manually. <S> If so, you could set the system "off" (cooling, heating, off), then turn on the blower and let it run without worrying about the furnace continually triggering the igniter or locking out. <S> Or maybe you can put your thermostat in "heat" mode, turn the setting up higher than the actual temperature and turn the blower on. <S> The blower will run, but the furnace won't try to ignite and it won't matter whether the gas is turned on or off. <S> For example, the Honeywell thermostat pictured below lets you turn the blower on whether the thermostat of set for Heat, Off or Cool. <A> If only the furnace air handler blower is running, having the fuel off is completely fine. <A> No, it should cause no damage at all. <S> However, if the unit is switched into heating mode, it could (should) eventually go into lockout. <S> At which time you'd have to follow the procedure to get the unit out of lockout, which varies from unit to unit. <S> If you're looking to circulate air, turn the FAN setting on the thermostat from AUTO to ON. <S> This will turn the blower on, without activating the heating or cooling function. <S> If you want to run the unit in cooling mode, just set the thermostat to COOL. <S> This will turn the blower on/off with the A/C unit. <S> Both these modes should function properly with the gas off, and no damage will be caused to the system by having the gas off. <A> Doing this with my system (York ~2002) will blow a fuse, probably because the igniter keeps trying to light a nonexistent gas flow. <S> Your mileage may vary.
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It might cause harm if the furnace were trying to ignite in which case the igniter will die prematurely.
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Adding another circuit to a full panel I'm looking to add a hot tub, and after my basement build out a few years ago my panel is full. (By "full" I mean we added a sub panel and now my 400 amps is "technically" spoken for by 400 amps of breakers, though of course our load is never anywhere close to that.) I'm not unfamiliar with these principles (I wired the basement buildout myself and had my electrician friend and inspector sign off on it.) What I'm looking for and can't find, likely because I don't know what to look for, is some sort of intelligent switcher or breaker. Something that would allow me to say, share the 50amp 220 from the clothes dryer with the hot tub, so when the dryer was running the hot tub would be shut off. I don't want to unsafely overload the panel or make modifications that would get frowned on when the house is sold. The power company wants thousands of dollars to "upgrade" my feed to 800 amps. I don't need 800 amps ... I need to safely, legally and automatically share 50 amps between two circuits. What can I do here? <Q> It is okay to have 800 amps of breakers in a 200 amp service panel. <S> The reason there is a main breaker (200 amp double pole) is to prevent unsafe usage. <S> When you run out of physical space, there are several solutions: <S> Replace some of the main panel breakers with half-widths (two breakers per slot) to create enough space for a new breaker. <S> Remove unneeded breakers. <S> Maybe some circuits are no longer in use. <S> Replace the breaker panel with a bigger one. <A> I suggest you ask your electrician friend to check his IEC book. <S> Anyways, try looking here: http://www.nktechnologies.com/current-sensing-switches/ <A> More circuits in a panel, duplex etc. <S> I wrote a thorough explanation of duplex breakers here, that will show your options for adding to a panel. <S> https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/110152/47125 Amps on the breakers <S> Yes, the numbers on the breakers add up to more than your main service. <S> That is normal. <S> You don't have to worry about that unless particular things about your operation create a probability of running all that stuff at once. <S> For instance a friend has an all-electric house, and 200A Main Panel 1 has: 60A heat pump compressor (cannot run below -10C) <S> 70A auxiliary heat #1 <S> 70A auxiliary heat #2 20A humidifier and air handler 15A furnace controls and electronics <S> He's oversubscribed, obviously, but he also knows the aux heat will not run if the heat pump is working. <S> So he's fine, but he doesn't have the headroom to add a 30A dryer to this panel. <S> (he has a second panel for everything else.) <S> Suppose you have a 60A/240V subpanel. <S> Normally it would be no big deal to oversubscribe that panel and put twelve 20A circuits for ordinary household loads, which would cover most of a house's lighting and receptacle circuits. <S> But in your case you want to run twelve Bitcoin mining rigs, which draw 16 amps continuous at 120V <S> (so you must provision 125% or 20A). <S> You can only get 6 of those (3 per pole) on a 60A subpanel and you must place them smartly so you don't accidentally put 4 on one pole.
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Install a sub-panel which is fed by a double breaker in the main panel. You may want to be careful doing this as it my violate code.
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how to remove plastic stuck inside core drill bit I use a 1/4" diamond tip core drill bit to make holes in the bottom of bowls to use them as plant pots with drainage. I bought the diamond core drill bit to drill ceramic bowls, however I also used it to drill 1/4" into plastic bowls, and this was a mistake. The plastic is wedged so tightly inside the bit that I cannot get it out. I have tried getting it out with an awl, a safety pin, a nail, a knife, etc. and no luck. Any ideas? All I can think of is to secure the bit in a vise, and try to drill out the plastic with a smaller bit. <Q> I would first try driving a screw into the plastic and then pulling it out. <S> You could clamp the screw in a vice and pull on the bit so that you don't damage the bit with the clamp. <S> then crack/break the rest of it out. <A> I'm not sure if there are any surefire ways to get it out, but I have an idea. <S> Put the bit into a bench vise, and then find a small screw or bolt that will fit inside the bit. <S> Clamp down the screw with locking pliers and then heat it with a torch until it is red hot. <S> Insert the end of it inside of the bit. <S> Wait for everything to cool down and then try pulling the screw out. <S> You want to avoid heating the bit directly because that could cause it to lose its temper. <A> Throw the bit in the oven or on the barbeque. <S> The plastic will shrink as it heats up, and if you get lucky, you can melt it out. <S> Otherwise you'll have enough room to get <S> the awl/pin/whatever into it, <S> and you'll have broken the suction.
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If it's tightly wedged in it might be easiest to drill out the center of it with the largest bit you have and
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How can I level a part of a concrete floor in preparation for installing a washing machine? Whoever installed the existing washing machine in the basement was unable to extend one of the legs long enough to adjust for the slope in the concrete floor. So they took a piece of wood and stuck it under that corner. The washing machine is level all right, but 1- it's very ugly, and, more importantly 2- the piece of wood could slide out during some spin cycle and then the machine would fall and then wobble like crazy. The old washing machine is about to go, and a new one is coming in. I'd like to avoid the hack and make the adjustment needed to level the washing machine minimal. To do that I'm thinking of applying a bit of concrete floor leveling compound. The idea is this: First position some (old/disposable) planks of wood around the area of the washing machine. Keep the planks in place with some tape. Apply the compound to the sealed area (that's the footprint of the washing machine). After the compound sets, remove the planks of wood. Now the new washing machine has a nice little square to sit on that's reasonably level. Is this a reasonable solution? Can you think of a better way? <Q> Instead of temporary forms, make permanent ones. <S> Cut a 2x4 in to a wedge shape, apply a thick bead of silicone down the middle of the underside, and screw them down with masonry screws. <S> Once the silicone sets, fill your forms with cement. <S> Now you have a nice level permanent pad for your machines. <A> Several items in my basement are on 4 bricks. <S> Indeed, with a relatively stiff mortar you don't even need the brick, perhaps (I do to keep things above the waterline when things get out of hand inflow-wise.) <S> Perhaps a quarry tile on the high side and a brick on the low side would work for you, or you can mortar a stack of quarry tiles. <S> If you'd rather have a full pad, you can use a stiff mix without forms (and a tapered outer edge), or you can use forms. <S> I'd probably NOT use "self-levelling" for this job as it does raise the stakes on form tightness, and again, you only really need to get close enough for the feet to work, not "perfect." <A> Use a milk carton as a forms, tape them to the floor and fill with concrete or patch, starting with the lowest corner and level each of them. <S> They do not need to be very thick, but now you ave four sturdy, level pads for the washer feet to rest. <S> You could put a plywood platform on top, but you really just need the 4 pads.
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With a reasonably stiff mortar, it's not hard to get the 4 bricks level (and you only HAVE to get them close enough for the feet to compensate.) You could even make "forms" with a stiff mix around the edge, then infill that.
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What can I do about a window well that is filling up with water from below the surface? I have 2 covered basement window wells on the side of my house. When it rains heavily, they fill up with water from beneath the surface. There are 4 downspouts from the gutters on our roof. They run into underground pipes (the black corrugated kind) that lead to a large drywell. When it rains heavily, the pipes take quite a lot of water. One of the pipes ran very close to the window wells and had some leaky elbows. We thought that was the cause of the seepage, so we ripped out that portion of pipe (about 10 feet in all) and re-routed it about 5 feet from the window wells using a much higher quality PVC pipe. It's still happening! We recently ran a camera down the pipes and it appears there are a few places where the pipes are crimped or broken by tree roots. This is about 25 feet from the window wells . Roto Rooter said that the crimped/broken pipes are what is causing the problem still and that I should replace ALL of our underground pipes with more solid quality pipes. Question: could this REALLY be the cause? I would figure that any backflow due to the crimps in the pipe would cause the water to overflow from where the downspouts connect into the ground pipe, not come up from underground inside the window wells. Note: there are no drains inside the window wells, just rocks. Not sure drains would help since the water is coming up from below. <Q> If the water is coming up from below into the window wells you have a big problem. <S> That issue means your basement is becoming a reverse swimming pool. <S> Imagine taking a big concrete box and putting in in a lake right up to the edge of the box. <S> Eventually many many problems will crop up that <S> your window <S> well issue is just the first warning of. <S> You are going need to take that water away from the house. <S> A sump pump will do it quickest and easiest, as long as the power doesn't go out during a storm (gee, somehow that seems like it might happen, plan on having it happen and take what ever measures you think necessary, like back up power for the sump pump). <S> Redirecting the gutter downspouts will do even better if the power does go out. <S> Grading the slope of the land around your house to drain away from your house in every direction will also help without power - possibly with buried plastic under the soil sloping away from the house as well as a sort of 'earth sheltered umbrella'. <S> Adding new better french drains around the building while performing the grading and redirecting the downspouts and adding a sump pump or two would be best of all. <S> But in the end, if none of the above work, I would recommend abandoning the basement entirely, filling it in with gravel and a sump pump as the water level in your soil will never allow you to have a safely dry basement. <S> I know one family who had to do this very thing, and was much happier knowing that their foundation wouldn't become a molding swimming pool slowly being crushed by the outside soil/water pressure. <S> It required moving some of the HVAC and other utilities that were down there, and using the space under the floor only as a crawl space. <A> The cause of the seepage is that the system is simply being overwhelmed. <S> During a heavy rain, your dry-well fills quickly, as the downspouts are fed into it. <S> If they didn't feed into there, you'd stand half a chance of the drain system doing what it's supposed to: drain those wells (as opposed to filling them). <S> Those rocks, with their proximity to the (perforated) corrugated pipe, are the drain. <S> Install a sump pump in your basement, if necessary. <S> Disconnect the downspouts , and add several extra feet of gutter that discharges onto the lawn (ideally, downhill), as far from the house as reasonably possible. <A> There should be a french drain around the building. <S> Often the problem with water issues such as this is your sight profile. <S> Look at the land and see if re-grading part of it might keep the water from pooling to close to the building. <S> But in your case it seems as though the broken pipes explain your problem as pointed out by Roto Rooter. <S> You could also add in a rain barrel. <S> If your window well no longer fills up you have your answer and replace the broken pipe. <A> You have to get rid of the rocks & remove that path of no resistance. <S> Otherwise, you need to add drains in the window <S> well bottoms, below the gravel & windowsill. <S> These should either tie into the downspout pipes or have their own pipes. <S> But, I'd listen to Roto Rooter. <S> The back-up could be coming out anywhere & saturation will always find your low-spot window wells. <S> One option that you may have is regarding around the window wells to pitch any surface water away, so regular saturation has a hard time setting up as well. <S> But, definitely get the downspout line(s) solid & water-tight. <A> Of course, try to keep the rain water away from the window wells by putting long downspout hoses on surrounded downspouts. <S> Continue digging till you are below the foundation level. <S> Purchase a 3 foot or so piece of pipping they use on water meter cover holes. <S> Put this down the hole in your window <S> well hole. <S> You might want to put a piece of screen down first then put then put the 3 foot piece of pipe in the hole. <S> Then put a sump pump down the hole. <S> It goes on ten times a day in the spring time and then occasionally during the fall rains <S> and we hardly know its there.
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You could try taking off part of your rain drain from some point above the ground and put a temporary pipe that drains to a low spot away from the window well and see if it stops the water from building up. But a more direct method to get around this is to dig down through the rocks in the window well till you come to dirt. My mother in law lives in a place with a high water table and she has one in her basement.
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Why are GFCI systems typically in the receptacle instead of in the breaker? Since the breaker box contains all the other electrical safety equipment it would make sense to put GFCI systems here; and GFCI circuit breakers are available which do this. But GFCIs inside receptacles are much more common. Is it just because they're older, because they are easier to reset, or something else? <Q> The top few possible reasons are: Ease of access - it's easier to reset a tripped GFCI in the same room. <S> Easier to retrofit - it's easier for a homeowner to install a receptacle than to dig around in the panel. <S> Even if this type of panel work is trivial, most people just aren't comfortable with it. <S> Cost - one GFCI receptacle is cheaper than a GFCI breaker. <S> If multiple GFCI receptacles would be needed to properly protect a branch circuit, then this argument would diminish. <S> Protection <S> requirement(s) - some circuits do not require GFCI protection for the entire circuit, so installing a GFCI receptacle allows you to "target" the required areas (ie, if you don't want your lighting to trip in the case of a ground fault at a receptacle). <A> Both forms exist. <S> The receptacle version can be installed by any reasonably handy individual. <S> The breaker-box version provides broader coverage but is beyond the skills of most amateurs --- I could do it, but I would not be comfortable doing it. <S> Also, some of us have old boxes which make simply finding a compatible breaker a challenge; manufacturers of GFCIs are not going to make the effort to support all that outdated equipment. <S> Different constraints, different solutions. <A> There are two reasons that I can think of off the top of my head. <S> 1) <S> A GFCI breaker when tripped kills the entire circuit, including things you may not want to be killed. <S> 2) <S> According to an electrician friend, the breakers are a bit more sensitive and so nuisance trip more often. <A> It is a bit scary for some to pull the cover off and work on an open panel. <S> And it is dangerous. <S> It is safer to simply cut the power from the panel, switch it out and be done with it. <S> The receptacle also constrains the coverage area, which is an unknown in the case of panel breaker.
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While functionally the same, it is simpler to replace a receptacle gfci than a breaker.
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How can I prevent water from leaking on an outlet? I recently moved into a new house rental and am setting up my washer & dryer. I am uncomfortable with the proximity of our hot/cold water valves to our washer's power outlet and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions to prevent water leakage onto the outlet (perhaps an outlet cover or valve cover would help?). Please see the attached image. Thanks for you help. -Jared <Q> I think the best way to prevent water issues would be to move the outlet and/or valves. <S> If that is not preferable, at least ensure that the outlet is protected by a GFI, or install a GFI receptacle at that location. <S> Keep a close eye on your hoses and valves and repair at first sign of leak. <S> Turn those faucets off when you go on vacation. <A> Some alternative possibilities would be: Build a separate (waterproof) vertical conduit to contain and isolate the water system - both incoming pipes and what looks to be a drain on the right of the image. <S> This would not need to be very large, perhaps 1 foot square could be enough. <S> Move the water valves down as low as possible. <S> The rationale being that the electrical cable leading up to the outlets seems to be in good condition and, one hopes, water resistant - while the outlets are not. <S> If there is a spill, better it affects just the cable and not the receptacle. <A> There are some ways, but the best is, imho, moving the outlet somewhere else . <S> Of course - You can use 'waterproof' boxes (not the best look if You ask me), You can move the pipes, which is unconvenient and risky. <S> Moving this outlet to the left (there is a wall on the left, am I right?), using either same cable or making it longer - Your choice. <S> Definitely - leaving it as it is now is very risky, and dangerous. <A> Another way would be to tighten the valves so much that it won’t leak. <S> Make sure the nut is also fixed properly. <S> It depends on how frequently you will open the valve. <S> If it is too frequent <S> it’s better you change the place of the switches or relocate the valves.
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It is also easier to shorten water tubing than to extend electrical wiring (while maintaining waterproofing across joints). You could also use a weatherproof "in-use" cover.
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Tile basement bathroom over cracks without Ditra I am tiling a basement bathroom that is 5 feet by 6 feet. It has a crack running the entire length of the bathroom as well as a small hairline crack near the toilet. I've read that Ditra is the best for crack isolation and to keep the movement from transfering up through the tile. I am using 1 foot by 2 foot tiles running lenthwise over the crack. My problem is if I use Ditra with the thinset underneath it + the Ditra it self and the thinset on top I'm way too high to match up with my wood floor that is meeting up with it. I've seen a few other online putting crack isolation membrane over the floor, but it sounds like that is more for prevention, not for cracks that are already in the floor. Are there any other low profile options to prevent the crack from traveling up into the tile or grout? <Q> Use a thinner crack isolation sheet, ask for "slip-sheet" at the tile store. <S> Some will bridge cracks up to 1/8" wide. <S> Note, although slip-sheet works great for cracks caused by horizontal movement, they are not great for preventing cracks caused by vertical movement. <A> Ditra is excellent, why not use a transition strip from the tile to the hardwood. <S> You can get them in marble, stone or metal <S> and they are perfect for situations like this. <S> You don't want to be tearing up the cracked tiles in 1 year. <A> The crack in the basement floor looks like it goes under the wood as well. <S> Cracks in foundations tend to let water in. <S> Water + wood = mold. <S> If you haven't secured all of the wood flooring yet, I would strongly recommend fixing the crack and the cause of the crack if you haven't already and then look at subfloor underlays for the wood flooring to help with moisture control. <S> This will allow you to use Ditra and have the tile floor match up with the wood floor. <S> This will hopefully keep you from having to tear up cracked tile and a moldy wood floor after only a few years. <S> Also, If the wood planks haven't been secured yet and there is a possibility of returning them, I recommend thinking about switching to an inorganic flooring material (e.g. vinyl plank flooring looks nice and is great for basements). <S> I recommend switching materials if at all possible or holding off if the cause of the cracking is unknown or more cracking in the floor <S> /walls can be expected (e.g. if the current cracks were caused by house settling). <S> In general, the use of wood flooring in basements is not recommended unless the basement is bone-dry and can be guaranteed to be bone-dry in the future. <A> If you don't want to change the height of the floor with a traditional rubber membrane, you can use a waterproofing/isolation membrane called RedGard. <S> It is applied like paint, and only would add a fraction of an inch to the height of your floor. <S> The manufacturer recommends that you put on one coat to act as a crack isolation membrane, and 2 coats to be waterproof. <S> Since this is an on grade slab, it wouldn't hurt to add a second coat to prevent water from being absorbed from the ground under your tiles. <S> A crack that size will surely telegraph into the tile. <S> Before you apply the membrane, you should fill the crack with hydraulic cement or mortar. <S> After the crack is filled, you can use your level to find any high spots, and then grind them flat with a grinder that is equipped with a diamond cup wheel. <S> Since this is in the basement, it would also be a good idea to use a mold resistant grout. <S> This will keep the floor looking new for a long time. <S> Those tiles are going to be ice cold in the winter, and I also don't see any other heat source in your picture. <S> They can be a little on the expensive side, but would be perfect for your bathroom. <S> Some of them also act as an isolation membrane too, so there will be less of a chance of your tiles cracking. <S> One last thing to consider is installing a stone threshold. <S> Even if you don't change the height of the floor, you can get one that is the same thickness as your wood floor and the tile. <S> It will give you a much cleaner transition from the tile to the wood. <S> There are also a wide variety of thresholds available on the market which are designed to overcome height differences. <S> If you are concerned about tripping over it, there are ones that are beveled. <S> You shouldn't have a problem finding one that works for your bathroom.
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I hope you have sufficient crack repairs done and an underlay in place that will help to prevent moisture transfer into the wood floor, but most options I am aware of would make the wood floor match up closer in height to a tile floor with Ditra in place. One other thing you could look into is an under tile heating system.
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Can you deburr copper pipes with a fitting brush? Probably a stupid question, but I'm trying to learn how to solder copper pipes and am gathering all the tools I might need. I currently have a fitting brush like this one , but wasn't sure if it would suffice to remove any burrs when cutting the pipes, or if I needed something with a blade. Bonus question -- would the fitting brush also work for cleaning the outside of the pipe before soldering, or is an emery cloth the way to go for that? <Q> The fitting brush will work if you use it with the proper sized copper pipes. <S> When I say it will work I refer to cleaning oxidation off pipe and fittings. <S> You should expect reasonable results for both the outside of the pipe using the holes in the tool and for inside of fittings using the brush. <S> This brush will not work well for removing burrs on the end of cut pipe. <S> For that you need some type of reamer tool for the inside of the pipe and a file for the outside edges if you are cutting with a saw (a rotary pipe cutter will not leave a burr on the outside that would be of any note). <S> In the end, sans the tools of various types, there is still emery paper to clean up pipes and fittings too. <S> Steel wool works too but may leave more debris inside pipes and fittings. <A> The local code in my area requires that the burr on the inside of the copper pipe or tubing is removed prior to soldering. <S> Most well made tubing cutters have a deburring blade integrated into the tool, but for large scale pipe work a separate deburring tool called a reamer works way easier and better. <S> Contrary to previous answers, a hack saw does not leave as much of a burr on the inside like a tubing cutter does, and there is nothing wrong with using a hacksaw if you use a fine-tooth blade and cut straight. <S> If you do not remove the internal burr, it causes turbulence downstream of the joint and over time causes damage to the pipe called erosion-corrosion <A> Having used both the brushes and sandpaper, I can say the brushes are far better. <S> However, when using the fitting brush on the outside, you can't turn the pipe back and forth - it bends the bristles the wrong way. <S> If you have a lot of pipe, get the power drill version. <S> Much faster. <S> If you are cutting pipe with a hacksaw you will need a reamer, but as cutting pipe with a hacksaw is just nasty we are back at the tubing cutter again.
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You can also get pipe reamers for your drill, but if you use a tubing cutter you really don't need it - the cutter provides a clean edge that requires no further preparation unless you are inserting your finger in there.
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Wet smell, finished basement, aggravates when it rains -how do I find the source? I have a light wet smell in my basement and I am trying to find the source of it ...not much luck so far.The basement is finished (by the previous owner) and as far as I could see behind the finished walls where the water meter is or under the stairs, it was done using expanded polystyrene, some plastic sheeting which I believe it is the vapor barrier. I am not sure if batt insulation was used or not. Anyway, in short, I don't want (if possible) to open all the walls to find out what is going on.Is there any way to find out where the leak is without removing the drywall ? thanks Update: I have spoken with a civil engineer who explained me that the humidity circulates along gradient lines from wet do dry. The smell seems to originate from the furnace room. I had an old furnace that I just changed. The furnace room had a large opening outside, direct unobstructed opening for the old furnace to take in air. No pipe running from the old furnace to the opening. Now that opening is closed, they used that for the exhaust and air intake pipes for the new furnace. There were a couple of openings in the insulation so I guess the more humid air trapped between drywall/insulation/vapor barrier was getting out because the room was dryers hence the smell. I am not sure why the smell stopped as soon as the weather got colder and it diminished to a hardly detectable smell after the furnace was replaced. I am now watching to see what is next :-) If you have questions post a comment here and I will get back with details. I am still trying to understand why a weather change and blocking that opening changed the situation. It is also possible that the high efficiency furnace is able to better dry the air ... <Q> Having vapor barriers in most basement environments is a really bad idea. <S> Really these only are a good idea in extremely cold environments or when a basement is truly a "basement" - meaning it is completely below ground level. <S> It is highly likely that water is saturating your foundation and then not drying quickly because of the vapor barrier. <S> But there are just a ton of reasons: <S> Given you have carpet the moisture could be seeping in from the floor and staying in the carpet a bit. <S> You may not even notice this but the carpet becoming constantly a little damp will make it smell. <S> This will not be totally fixed unless you tear down all the drywall - or enough to take vapor barrier and bottom insulation out. <S> See people 10 years ago and even now thought that insulating your basement walls top to bottom with batts fiberglass was the best way to do it. <S> Well it traps water and causes mold growth and provides no cost savings in most regions. <S> You could have a leak. <S> Basically you will probably need to untack carpet or flooring around the perimeter to see if water is leaking in. <S> I doubt that you have a real leak and not see any moisture at all underneath your walls. <S> Dehumidifiers are for very small constant humidity problems. <S> When you have a "smell" problem the dehumidifiers are hardly ever going to fix the issue. <S> You either need to seal your basement better from the inside or outside, remove the vapor barrier (that is probably just amplifying a bigger issue), and <S> the easiest and most helpful thing is to increase airflow. <S> If you have windows trying to keep them open a lot. <S> If you have stairs that are near an outside door trying to get the airflow circulating. <S> I have even seen people run fan to their attic to recycle air in basements. <A> actually after of almost two years of observations and logical deductions, by eliminating all the possibilities by making different experiments I isolated the problem to a tube/drain that took the water from my furnace/AC condense water pump to the drain located on the other side of the building (still don't know where it joins the drain because the basement in finished. <S> This tube had a leak (must have been a mouse or something) <S> my guess is that it is plastic all the way to the drain <S> and it was leaking somewhere in the ceiling but relatively close to the open ceiling area in the furnace room. <S> The leak was not big enough to wet walls or something but big enough to generate the smell, I guessSince I disconnected that tube from the ceiling and since I started draining the water into a bucket (temporarily, till I build a proper drain) the humidity in the basement is controllable without much effort and the smell is gone <A> Basements are often moist. <S> You may want to consider a dehumidifier, if you aren't running one already. <S> Caveat: they burn a lot of electricity. <A> As DMoore points out, it appears there's some structural issues--namely the vapor barrier. <S> I'd bring in an inspector if you can after a rain period and see if they can narrow down where the leaks may be using their expertise and toolsets. <S> In addition to that, though, do a fully inspection around your house. <S> Are all the gutters in working order? <S> Is the ground surrounding your house all properly sloped AWAY from the foundation? <S> Things like that.
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It could be just water trapped in the walls because of the vapor barrier or trapped in the insulation itself. Ultimately, it sounds like you're going to have to rip into the wall somewhere to find out the leak issue and being able to narrow it down a little bit would be a big help.
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How should I install laminate without removing the baseboard? I will be installing the laminate with the baseboard intact, do I lay the laminate right next to the baseboard? Or do I still need to use the spacers? <Q> At least that's how I do it. <S> Most people leave the baseboard in place, and cover the expansion gap with quarter-round or shoe molding. <S> If you're going to do it this way, you'll have to leave the manufacturer recommended expansion gap between the flooring and the baseboard. <S> Than as I've said, you'll cover the gap with quarter-round or shoe molding. <A> First the manufacturer will tell you how much of a gap you need to leave. <S> Read the instructions and follow them. <S> Also for laminate your baseboards should practically sit on it. <S> I would need to see pictures of what you are currently doing but we almost always remove the baseboards. <S> If you don't want to remove the baseboards then you will have to install some additional molding to cover the gap on your current baseboards. <S> This is less work than taking off the baseboards but higher cost - materials and paint. <A> When I installed mine, I kept the baseboard in place. <S> I then purchased spacers and used those to maintain the gap. <S> Virtually every laminate floor requires a gap to expand as conditions change. <S> After all the flooring is installed, installed quarter round trim to cover the gaps. <A> The preferred way to install flooring is to first remove the base molding, and then re-install it over the top of the finished floor. <S> Any flooring material to a certain degree requires room for expansion and contraction. <S> Installing the base molding over it would have the best chance of not having a noticeable gap in the flooring. <S> If removing the molding is not an option, the base molding can be undercut with an oscillating saw to allow the flooring to slide under it. <S> Using a scrap piece of flooring, go around the perimeter of the room and mark the height of the flooring with a pencil. <S> Then you can use an oscillating saw to carefully cut out the piece of baseboard. <S> You may need to use a small pry bar to remove the piece. <S> You will most likely still need to install a piece of shoe molding after the floor is installed to completely cover the gap, but undercutting it will have a cleaner appearance than just butting the flooring material up to the baseboard.
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You should remove the baseboard, install the flooring, and then reinstall the baseboard.
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How can I remove a key that is stuck in a lock? I used the wrong key, checking a lock. Can I get it out or do I have to get a whole new doorknob. Oh and this is just a regular front door lock. <Q> When a key is stuck in a pin-tumbler lock, what that usually means is that one of the pins has dropped down into the key's cuts but isn't lifting back out of the way so the key can be withdrawn. <S> There are several possible causes. <S> One is that the key was cut badly and doesn't have enough of a slope to lift the pin as it is pulled back. <S> Uncommon, though sometimes done deliberately to trap a key in the lock so it can be used as a semi-permanent thumb turn. <S> But usually the problem is that the plug (the rotating part of the lock) is not properly lined up with the shell. <S> For the bottom pins to lift, they need to be aligned with the chambers in the shell that hold the top pins. <S> If the key is slightly rotated, that alignment doesn't occur and you can't remove the key... ... <S> But the more likely malfunction scenario involves front-to-back misalignment. <S> If the hardware holding the plug in the shell (usually the tailpiece screw or screws) becomes loose, the plug can slide toward you as you start to pull the key out, misaligning it and trapping the key. <S> (This doesn't become a problem while inserting the key because there's a hard stop in that direction.) <S> I'm betting on that being the cause here. <S> If so, pressing the plug inward with one hand while removing the key with the other will probably work, for the same reason that inserting the key worked; you'll be using the plug's shoulder as an alignment reference point. <S> Try it. <S> If that does the trick, your lock needs to be dismounted and the tailpiece screws (or equivalent) need to be tightened. <S> Don't delay too long on that, or you may be facing more serious malfunctions. <S> If this doesn't solve it, we need more detail about exactly what you did and the current state of the lock. <S> It may be necessary to disassemble things to resolve this. <S> Which is sometimes challenging if you can't use the proper key. <S> (Courtesy of ORK Security Services -- full-service, very part-time, locksmithing) <A> If it went in it will come out. <S> Squirt some graphite lube in there and pull the key, hard, with pliers. <S> If the lock breaks... you needed a new one anyway. <A> http://www.lock-picking.org/lock-picks.html <S> All locksmiths have one. <S> If you know someone who likes picking locks, you can ask them if they have one or if they'd like to try using their diamond or hook shaped pick. <S> Or you can try yourself. <S> Lock pick sets are inexpensive and legal unless used illegally. <S> You can make your own quite easily as well.
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There's a particular type of lock pick called a key extractor that is designed specifically for this purpose.
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How to fix bed slats? I'm wondering if there is an easy but reliable way to fix this slat under my mattress (see attached image). It's an Ikea bed. Any suggestion? I was thinking of flat metal pieces screwed into the wood on each side like some kind of splint.. <Q> Glue the existing slat back together. <S> Reinforce it from the bottom with a piece of dimensional lumber (60cm x 2cm x 2+cm) <S> Glue and screw that lumber to the bottom of the slat -- it won't affect the mattress, as the reinforcement is below the bed. <S> Alternatively, you could adjust the other slats and just not use this one. <A> Metal plates will be nice and fast to repair that, but in my opinion, You need one for each side and - the longer the better. <S> Remember not to use too-long screws to avoid matress damage. <S> Alternatively You can use bolts and drill holes for them before fitting together. <S> Replacing this would be most elegant way, I guess. <A> Use a good quality wood glue and clamp it until it's dried. <S> That is likely all you need. <S> Reinforcing might be needed, but I doubt it.
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Some glue for wood may be nice to use before fitting. Metal plates are likely either to bend or to weaken the already thin slat. Optional fix can be done by removing all of these wooden bars (these come bound together from Ikea as I recall - my kids got similar beds) and remove broken one with new one (You can buy it in probably every shop like Castorama in Eastern Europe).
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Under Nec 2011, I need neutral to every switch box; can I just use 2 14/2's instead of paying extra for 14-2-2? I have two deadend 3way switches planned for the box (on the same breaker). I have 14/3 for each one going on, but then learned of the new rule about needing neutral at every box. I thought to replace one of the 14/3's with 2 14/2's. 3 ways are a bit confusing and this new rule about makes my head spin trying to understand all the outdated diagrams on the net. Now that I have asked the question, it sort of seems obvious I can do this, but you never know. thanks <Q> The Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) might call you on 300.3(B), since not all the conductors are in the same cable. <S> National Electrical Code 2014 Chapter 3 <S> Wiring Methods and Materials Article 300 Wiring Methods 300.3 Conductors. <S> (B) Conductors of the Same Circuit. <S> All conductors ofthe same circuit and, where used, the grounded conductorand all equipment grounding conductors and bonding conductorsshall be contained within the same raceway, auxiliarygutter, cable tray, cablebus assembly, trench, cable, orcord, unless otherwise permitted in accordance with300.3(B)(1) through (B)(4). <A> If you're planning the circuit, it sounds like you have some flexibility in what you can do. <S> You could wire your 3-way switches such as to avoid using dead ends. <S> This would make a neutral available at both ends without having to use more than 14/3 between the switches. <A> Two alternatives: Put the switch loop/leg at the dead-end and tie your neutrals back. <S> Run a piece of PVC at the dead-end box <S> so you can add a neutral later without damaging the wall.
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You might want to contact the local electrical inspector, or redesign the circuit to avoid the situation altogether.
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Can I increase gas pressure to a stove? I have a gas stove (+ electric oven) which has one large burner, two medium burners and a small burner. The main burner is acceptable, but the medium burners are insufficient to boil a saucepan of water in a reasonable time, even when on full. (I don't even bother with the small burner.) As a result, I can't cook a sauce on the main burner, and boil rice/potatoes/spaghetti on the back burners at the same time. The stove is about 13 years old, but has had limited use in its life. It is pretty clean, and I don't believe the gas lines are clogged. The valve leading to the stove seems to be fully open (i.e. the knob is in a position parallel to the pipe). Is it possible to turn up the pressure of the gas entering the stove? Is this a consumer-adjustable item (e.g. adjusting a regulator), a job for a plumber, or will I need to replace the whole stove (which isn't warranted)? <Q> The stove will have a gas regulator on it, so assuming that it is performing as-expected, you cannot increase the pressure in order to generate more heat. <S> If the flame is mostly blue then this is a good sign that the pressure and oxygen mix is correct <S> and it is probably performing to spec. <S> If the flame is mostly orange/yellow or appears "lazy", then this is a good sign that it is not burning properly either because the pressure is too low (due to supply, regulator or a blockage) or there is not enough oxygen being mixed in (clogged). <S> If the regulator is bad then this can be replaced. <S> If the supply to the regulator is too low then you likely need a bigger supply line. <S> Both of these are outside the realm of most DIY repairs, so best bet is to call a service technician. <A> You can increase the gas volume by removing the handles that control the burner. <S> You will find a screw inside the opening in the stove and adjust the flame with a very small slotted screw driver. <S> The burner will need to be on when doing this to adjust the size of the flame. <A> This may be a matter that can be adjusted within the stove. <S> Dubious for DIY; get a gas appliance tech in to check both that the feed pressure is within the specs of the stove and that all 4 burners are properly adjusted. <S> On the DIY side of it you should be able to check the burners themselves for any build-up or blockage with crud that might affect their proper operation. <S> Beyond that my gut reaction is to call in a specialist as screw-ups with gas can be BAD. <A> I suggest the following course of action: <S> Turn off the gas supply valve. <S> Dismantle each gas burner and dunk all the burner assemblies in a strong solution of hot water and dishwashing soap (like Joy) to remove all oil, tar and other debris. <S> Use a steel brush to clean the metal surfaces of the burners inside and out. <S> Rinse with water and dry with compressed air to ensure quick and efficient drying. <S> Remove the supply line hose from the back of the stove. <S> Blow compressed air (ideally 200 psi) from the lines of each burner (TOP side of the stove) to remove whatever debris could be lodged inside. <S> As you blow compressed air from each burner on top, check the back of the stove is dust, rust or other debris come out. <S> (note: you may need to turn each burner's control to their fully-opened position so that air can pass through) Still with all burners' knobs on fully-opened position, pump compressed air from the back inlet pipe for 5 to 10 seconds. <S> Check if any dust, rust, oil and debris come out from the top lines. <S> Wipe away <S> any oil or tar that comes out. <S> Reset all knobs to fully-closed position. <S> Reassemble all the burners. <S> Check the pressure of the gas supply line (AFTER the regulator). <S> You should be getting about .25 psi or 1/4 psi. <S> If it is less than that then it is too low -- have it adjusted by your gas company if you don't know how to do it. <S> Reinstall the supply inlet hose to the inlet tube of the stove. <S> Turn on the Gas supply valve. <S> Try the stove. <S> If all else fails, then perhaps a new stove should be considered. <S> But I hope cleaning it will solve the problem. <S> Best.
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The stove is designed to accept a range of pressures from the supply line to begin with and increasing the pressure beyond what the regulator is designed for would be dangerous.
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Lifting mechanism for height adjustable sitting standing desk I have put together a sitting standing desk and all but one part works. The bit I would like some advice on is how to dynamically raise the keyboard/mouse surface to switch between ergonomic standing and sitting workstation heights. It is very important for use that this height adjustment can be done very easily, essentially in one move, and definitely without requiring any unscrewing and without needing any kind of tool use. At the same time, I'm not looking for an electrically powered lift, but a mechanical manual design. and the keyboard and mouse need to stay flat horizontal throughout the raise A)I have a solution in mind, but the current issue I have is I do not know how the component I am looking for is called :) So I cannot search for it or order it, which I would like to do. It is a metal component, one of which is attached to each side of the keyboard surface, but explaining it with words is not easy, so I made a video showing the component made out of Lego https://www.dropbox.com/s/8aj37nav7umwp9t/2015-07-10%2012.57.25.mov?dl=0 Do you know what this kind of component is called? Or even better, where such components are sold? B) Maybe there is a better dynamic mechanical solution? Maybe this component will not hold, although I'm sure I have seen it somewhere working? P.S.What I have is not actually a desk as such but a shelving unit based on http://www.shelfstore.co.uk/thesystem.asp And the keyboard surface is actually a shelf on a slide http://www.shelfstore.co.uk/component_details.asp?component_type_id=46&submit_action=component_find And it has shelves above the keyboard surface to hold the computer displays and can provide support from either above or on the sides if needed (unlike a desk) P.P.S.This question is related in general aim to this one How do I make a height adjustable desk? but my question is a bit more specific and has design constraints in mind. <Q> The device you're describing, sounds like a four-bar linkage . <S> Not sure if you'll be able to find one available that suits your needs, or if you'll have to manufacture it yourself, or if it's even the best design for what you're trying to accomplish. <S> But hopefully that will help you find what you're looking for. <A> As an alternative, you could consider what I've done. <S> My desk at the office is electric (I found a good source for electric desks at economical prices and we have several of them). <A> I would use a hydraulic, similar to what is found on a door. <S> One like the one linked below has a small button you push to set it, and then to release <S> you just relieve the pressure from the hydraulic and it will come down.. <S> Amazon - Hardware Door <S> Closer Hydraulic
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But at home, I raised my entire desk up on blocks so it is at standing height, then got a "drafting stool" style of chair--basically an office chair with a longer gas tube and a foot ring.
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How to break a sheet of glass quietly? I have a sheet of glass over the kitchen door (for natural light to hit the entry hallway) VICIOUSLY GLUED to the fame. I'm removing the entire frame to replace the old wood door with a glass door and also want to get rid of the glass above. I was pondering on how to break it and I didn't want it to shatter all over the place. I decided to cover it in duct-tape so it holds together even when broken (makes sense in my head, we'll see how it turns out) . I put a piece of cardboard on each side and nailed it to the frame so it won't have anywhere to go after it breaks. On the side I'll break it from, I left some holes in the cardboard to hit the glass and not the cardboard covering it. I'll also put a pillow on it when I break it to muffle it even more. But I hit it twice for testing and it's very strong... and loud! So to avoid panicking my neighbors (I'm very considerate :)) ... what's the easiest and less noisy way to make a sheet of glass crack and remove it? Size is 75cm by 45cm. Thickness is about 5mm. And covered in duct-tape. This is what I'm thinking of? Small impact area, large impact area? Hit at center or sides? Hammer a sharp object into it or just hammer directly? Drill some holes into it first to weaken it? Should I saw the entire part out with the glass in it (as I don't care about the frame anyways, I'll obliterate it) --- but this is not so easily achievable? Thanks. PS: I write code. DIY wannabe. And have no idea how to tag this... <Q> Standard EMT tool for tempered glass car windows (after taping - packing tape preferred over duct tape) is an automatic center punch. <S> If you're "smashing the whatever" out of it, you're doing it wrong. <S> It just takes subtle application of force to a fine point. <S> If you get lots of long shards, it wasn't tempered, and you'd need to be careful handling the shards (movie reference and graphic explanation of the desirability of tempered glass - the non-tempered glass in "Christine") <A> It seems that taping it and enclosing with cardboard were good precautionary safety measures. <A> A technique in changing out a piece of cracked stained glass. <S> I take a oil glass cutter and score the glass in grid like fashion in small square and or triangle like shapes, then tap the scored lines on the opposite side with the other end of the glass cutter until fractures develop. <S> The pieces will break up in a controlled manner. <S> Wear gloves and use grozing pliers if you have them . <S> Important to note, this WILL NOT work on tempered glass as it will just shatter into a million unfriendly pieces !
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It may be tempered glass, if so it will be more difficult to break and will shatter into a thousand small pieces (like auto glass). A hammer and nail will work the same, it's mostly being a one-handed tool that's easy to carry that makes the ACP the preferred tool among EMTs. Put a tarp under your work area, wear a heavy long-sleeved jacket, wear safety glasses, and smash the s*%t out of it.
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Accessing light bulbs on ceiling fan We just bought a house and it has this ceiling fan: The upper portion has bulbs in it, but for the life of me I cannot figure out how you'd get to them. The top of the unit has a metal plate secured with 6 or 8 screws. I can believe you'd have to remove all of those screws, especially so close to the ceiling, to change the bulbs. The plastic side pieces do not seem to come out. Anyone have a fan like this and know how to access the bulbs? <Q> That maybe your only way, so you may have to use a stubby screwdriver. <S> Who is the manufacture and what is model number of your fan. <S> If you can, upload a picture. <A> This is a Hampton Bay (Home Depot) model with an 'Up' light. <S> With a step ladder and an appropriate length Phillips screwdriver <S> it is really simple. <S> There is a small cover over each bulb and you have to remove 2 screws to get it off and get at the bulb. <S> There are 4 C7 type bulbs that are 15 watts with 100 Lumens. <S> You can use C7 Christmas tree light bulbs <S> but they would be very dim. <A> They are most likely 7 watt night light bulbs. <S> You can tilt the fan over a bit to easier access the screws, unless the fan is semi-flush rigidly mounted. <S> And yes, a stubby screwdriver helps. <A> I took off the blades first, then use Phillips stubby screwdriver to remove the screws <S> (there are 3, be careful not to drop the clips the screws screw into), drop the shade, replace the bulbs with LEDs, then make sure the clips are aligned on the shade so the screws can find the hole. <S> So, carefully align them first then move the shade up and try to hand twist one screw into the clips <S> , the clips move easily so try not to disturb their position. <S> Then put the blades back on and you're done.
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That fan should have a small plate with a single screw for each bulb. Home Depot sells replacements as "Ceiling Fan" light bulbs.
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Installing hook on strange wall I need to install some hooks on my wall, which I plan to use to perform elastic band exercises. Hence, I need to install these very well so that they will handle the stress properly. Situation is I have found an strange wall on the rental apartment I'm living. I was convinced it was a concrete wall because it feels sturdy when I hit it. Then I drilled a hole on it with too much ease. It's almost as if it is made of sand, and at some point (after 2 inches) the wall feels hollow while drilling. My conclusion is that the wall thickness is 2 inches. At this thickness, I don't think the wall will be able to support the 3 sleeve bolts (5/16 x 2 1/2 inches) required to install this system. I wonder if I have any alternative here, maybe using different screws? Glue? Any other method? NOTE: Old building, perhaps 60's to 70's construction. Brick on the outside. <Q> This sounds like old school plaster on metal mesh, common for that era in apartments and condos. <S> Hard as a rock. <S> Don't be surprised if you find none, they're probably small metal c channels. <S> I would not employ "any other methods" <S> then the appropriate lag screws into a wood stud or masonry fasteners into their appropriate substrate. <S> You'll shot your eye out, kid. <A> Do you suppose your walls are covered with something similar to this? <S> http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Fiber-Cement-Board/1291501553.html <S> It doesn't sound like the wall covering is structural. <S> There must be studs in the wall. <S> You could try a stud finder device like you can find at your local DIY store. <S> You could try using toggle bolts. <S> If you do, I would do a pull-test with something other than the resistance bands before hooking those up and getting too gung-ho with them. <S> If there are studs, but they're metal studs, those are basically sheet metal <S> and they don't give you a lot to secure a screw into, so <S> if that's the case, you probably still want to use toggle bolts. <S> On the other hand, if the walls are made out of something like Durisol , there might not be any studs. <S> Durisol blocs are made out of a " cement-bonded wood fiber material. " <A> It sounds to me like the internal wall construction is made of cinder blocks. <S> These drill easily as you describe and a hole drilled into the wall would have likely entered into the hollow cavity of the cinder block. <S> I would strongly discourage you from trying to mount these brackets to such a wall as there is no good assurance that a strong pulling force would not break the face right out of a block like this. <S> Another consideration is that since you live in an apartment you most likely should not freely be drilling large holes into the walls. <S> As a minimum you should seek the approval and advice of the landlord that owns and manages the property.
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However, you'd have to open up the wall to find the concrete block that's most likely behind it, because the plaster is only supported by furring strips tacked into the blocks with nails. Long story short, installing this correctly in an apartment of your construction is unlikely. Do not be fooled if your stud-finder scores a hit.
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What can I do about my new driveway that is higher than the garage floor? I recently had a new asphalt driveway installed. Due to the slope of the driveway they stopped about 2 1/2 feet from garage. This has created a problem with the end of driveway being 5 1/2 inches higher than the garage floor. This makes it extremely difficult to get motorcycles in and out. Can anyone suggest a solution to fix this? I don't want any boards or anything like that but something that looks like it would belong there. <Q> Looks badly done - grass should have been removed before paving, grade fixed if needed so water won't run from driveway into garage. <S> For a crude fix, place a slot drain right up against the garage to divert water, and infill with lots of "cold patch" to make the slope inbetween as smooth as possible, rather than this huge drop at the end of the pavement. <S> For a better fix, hire a different paving contractor... <A> Have had a similar problem, slab concrete replacement driveway ended up resting a couple of inches higher than the slab in the garage floor. <S> What to do about water coming in and dealing with the height difference. <S> Dig the trench <S> a couple of inches deeper than the pipe to allow you to wrap the pipe in weed blocking cloth (to keep it unclogged), then fill in the space around and above the pipe with whitewash rock. <S> Fill in the rest of the area with the rock sloping the surface until you have about 1 1/2 " edge of asphalt and garage showing above the rock. <S> Cover the rock with 12x12" landscape tiles (gray color if you want them to not be noticable <S> , red ones if you want to make the spot more safely marked). <S> You can then run your motorcycle over the area smoothly. <S> If you happen to run a car tire over the area, the tiles are large enough to take momentary pressures since supported by the rock. <S> I have put in a couple of hundred feed to french drain using this method and it works fine to control the water, makes a decent walkway and always looks nice. <S> Good luck. <A> Been there, done that; landscape fabric and crushed stone.
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In your situation, since you have soil between the asphalt and garage as well as a decent amount of space, digging out a drain trench between the asphalt and the garage will let you put in a length of slotted french drain pipe to control water and use rock and pavers to smooth out the difference in heights of the two surfaces.
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LED light bulbs, RFI, and garage door opener I had to install new garage door opener (old one fried the lamp relay when the bulb burned out and arced), and noticed in the instructions not to use LED light bulbs because of possible RFI. After some Google searches I was able to verify that, indeed, LED bulbs can create so much interference as to render the opener inoperable. There were also several articles I found that suggested using bulbs with the FCC logo imprinted on the side of the lamp base, which are generally about twice the price of the non-FCC compliant bulbs. Has anyone found an LED light bulb that will work with a garage door opener? Edit: new opener is Chamberlain LW5000EV <Q> Chamberlain has a PDF guide listing LED bulb compatibility , which includes your unit. <S> More specifically, it lists: |-----------|---------------------------------|--------------|| <S> | <S> | Incandescent || Make | Model | equivalent <S> ||-----------|---------------------------------|--------------|| Phillips | 425256 | 40w || ECO SMART | <S> ECS A19CW 60W <S> E120 | <S> 60W <S> || <S> ECO SMART | ECS GP19 W27 40WE <S> FR 120 DG 2PK <S> | <S> 40W <S> || CREE | BA19-04527OMF-12DE26-2U100 | 40W || <S> 3M | RRA19B4 | 60W || Sylvania | 72554 | 60W || FEIT <S> | BPAG800DM-LED | 60W || <S> FEIT <S> | R20_DM_LED | <S> 45W ||-----------|---------------------------------|--------------| <S> That guide is from January 2014, so more bulbs may be compatible, but it doesn't look like they've issued anything more recent. <A> My Craftsman garage opener (model 139.53985DM) installed new in Nov. of 2010 suddenly started being very difficult to close. <S> All other functions normal. <S> I finally realized that it was after I had replaced the regular lights with LEDs. <S> I used Sylvania OSRAM 60 watt equivalent bulbs. <S> When I swapped out LEDs with incandescent bulbs, the door closed normally. <S> I also replaced normal bulbs with LEDs on my newer Craftsman opener (model 139.54985). <S> The newer opener was not affected by the LEDs. <S> I have since discovered that the LED power supply in the base of the bulb switches off and on rapidly to save on energy consumption. <S> It is this switching that causes the Radio Frequency Interference (RFI), not the LED itself. <S> Sylvania OSRAM LED lighting has built in circuitry to reduce RFI and is compliant with an established FCC requirement, however older equipment which broadcasts a radio signal may not have considered RFI. <S> I think it is wise to buy LED bulbs with printed FCC compliance (like Sylvania OSRAM) <S> but in addition, placing one LED bulb near any older broadcast device to check for interference <S> is wise before you buy more LEDs. <S> Steve18039 <S> May 2, 2016 <A> |-----------|---------------------------------|--------------|| <S> | <S> | Incandescent || Make | Model | equivalent <S> ||-----------|---------------------------------|--------------|| <S> Phillips | SlimStyle 9290002707 | 60w <S> || GE | Energy <S> Smart LED11DA19V2/827S <S> | 60w <S> || GE | Energy Smart <S> LED7DA19V2/827S <S> | 40w || Utilitech | Pro LED LA19DM/CL/LED | 40W || Utilitech <S> | Pro LED YGA03A08-7W-850 <S> | <S> 40W <S> || Utilitech <S> | Pro LED LA19DM/LEDG2 | <S> 40W <S> ||-----------|---------------------------------|--------------| <S> I've also had success with GE "bright stik" LED lamps in an old (ca. 1990) <S> Stanley garage door opener, which is fitted with two lamp sockets. <S> The bright stik lamps are not dimmable, and they have an attractive price of around US$3 each in a package of three. <S> They do produce a bit of noise in the AM radio band, but have so far caused no problems in the garage door opener, either with operating range or reliability, especially while closing the door with the lamps on. <S> GE bright stik lamps appeared on the market late in 2014, after the Chamberlain and Genie guides were published. <A> The Genie Company has came out with a new LED light bulb designed specifically for garage door openers. <S> The LED bulb reduces or eliminates radio frequency interference with the garage door openers remote. <S> The bulb works on any brand garage door opener that has a standard light cavity. <S> Here is more information on the Genie LED light bulb: http://www.geniecompany.com/garage-door-openers/accessories/led-light-bulb.aspx
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The Genie Company has a guide for LED lamps that are compatible with their rolling-code Intellicode radio links, found at http://www.geniecompany.com/data/news/press-release_led-replacement-bulb-notice_09-24-2014.pdf , dated 14 September 2014.
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Trying to understand why a light would be wired this way? Just moved in to an older home with fiancé and WAS planning to change out a light fixture with a new ceiling fan. However after turning off light switch and breaker and proceeding to remove light fixture I ran into something I felt was strange and later confirmed was very strange to a novice such as myself. When I removed the fixture to expose the wires I discovered it was connected to two white wires. Not the single black / white I expected and that was at the switch. Both black wires were taped up together and not used. I also got nervous over the fact that despite the switch being off apparently it was still live when I used my tester. (I am going to re-affirm this however as I noticed after the fact that my tester lights up and is audible just by waving it in the air near there. Appears something in the attic is causing it to light up, more to come on that) Either way things weren't as they should be to a novice and thus I promptly shut the project down. I don't play around. I do however find it odd and would love to hear thoughts on how it works this way and why would it possibly have been wired this way? I thought black was hot and white was neutral so if nothing else it would be the black ones used? <Q> Two black white pair. <S> One comes from the power source. <S> Think of that one as Line and Neutral. <S> The other one runs to the light switch wherever that is. <S> ( If you open the switch, you should find a black and white on the two screws. <S> ) <S> Therefore, the two black wires are connected and beep your meter because the breaker is still on. <S> Keep them intact. <S> AND the white coming from the switch is connected to the black on the fan. <S> It SHOULD have a bit of black E tape to mark it as a 'switched hot'. <S> The white neutral is connected to the white wire on the fan. <S> How'my doin' so far? <S> The new fixture should be wired just like the old fixture. <S> Put the black where the black was, and the white where the white was. <S> Double check the box <S> is secure enough to the house to hold the weight of the new fixture. <A> I'm not there, and can't probe the wiring to confirm, but this is a common wiring method when power comes to the fixture outlet first. <S> Power comes back from the switch on a white wire, and goes back to the breaker on the other white wire. <S> The meter is likely going off, because there's always power on the black wires. <S> Again, I'm not there, and so can't probe the wiring to confirm my suspicions. <S> I'm basing this answer on experience, and common practice. <A> You are correct the Black or Color wire should be the hot/power and the white is the neutral, but as long as the wire is marked with black tape is was okay. <S> Now you stated that you turned off the switch and you still had power at the fixture, that is because whom every wired this fixture may have switched the neutral and not the hot/power, which is no longer code. <S> The easiest way to check is to use your tester and see if you get the same light in the fixtures socket.
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Power comes to the fixture outlet on one of the black wires, then goes to the switch on the other. Doesn't seem that strange at all. So, the box in the ceiling has two pair coming into it.
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Is the material encasing a steam heating system asbestos? How can i determine this? I'm looking to purchase a home. It has a steam heat boiler system, wrapped in a white material that seems "old". Is it possibly asbestos? How do I test to see? <Q> With an asbestos test kit or a professional asbestos testing firm. <S> If you're buying the house, you may be able to get the sellers to pay for this. <A> I would start by asking your real estate agent. <S> They may be able to give you a quick answer like "definitely not, that's fiberglass" or "maybe". <S> It's also possible <S> the current owners have done testing. <S> If they have any knowledge of asbestos in the house, most (all?) <S> states require them to disclose it (although it may be hard to enforce that). <S> However if they did do testing and the results were negative <S> I would think they'd be happy to share that information. <A> If your home is older than 1980 (was officially banned in 1977 in the US), then it is very likely that there is some asbestos in the house. <S> It was viewed as a miracle product before there were health concerns. <S> Asbestos was in a variety of building materials including, but not excluding drywall compounds, insulation products, drywall, siding, and roofing materials. <S> The diseases associated with it are attributed to long term exposure such as working in mills. <S> etc. <S> The small amounts found in residences are virtually harmless. <S> The type of asbestos insulation found on building ducts and pipes is particularly nasty. <S> If it does turn out to be asbestos, then you would need to hire a professional asbestos remediation team to remove it. <S> This is not a DIY job because it requires special equipment and they basically plastic off the entire house and the workers are in special suits. <S> Needless to say, it is very expensive and usually requires them to open up walls, remove ductwork, pipes, etc. <S> that were contaminated to get rid of all of it. <S> You should have it tested and if it is asbestos (which it probably is), work with the seller to either have it remediated before you close, or have it subtracted from the price of the home. <S> This is not a cost which the buyer should be responsible for.
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Having some asbestos in your home is usually not harmful unless it is disturbed and small particles are released into the air.
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Do I need to level the outdoor AC cooling unit? I've read somewhere that the outdoor AC unit needs to be leveled. My outdoor unit is a bit slanted due to the floor not being completely flat (pic below). However, I don't see any obvious structural issues. Is this something I need to correct? Perhaps by sticking a small piece of wood on one side? <Q> It should be as level as possible. <S> The previous posts make good mention of rubber mat 6x6" squares and careful approach to only tip the unit as little as possible not to kink any lines. <S> If you don't hire a professional and aren't confident by yourself to address the issue, having a second person watch the lines while you tip can save much potential trouble. <S> Previous information from these posts also generate ambiguity over the importance of having the unit level in regards to the compressor. <S> Leveling the unit will terminate any ambiguity. <S> An additional concern not previously adressed is the compressor and/or fan bearings. <S> An off level unit will put additional unintended mechanical stress/strain on these rotating components long-term. <S> Therefore for best performance and longevity of your unit, level it and take special precautions in the process. <A> Take a look at the installation guide for this Lennox condenser unit. <S> It actually specifically points out that the slab should either be leveled or maintain a slope of 2 degrees. <S> Page 8 mentions, "PLACING UNIT ON SLAB <S> When installing unit at grade level, the top of the slab should be high enough above grade so that water from higher ground will not collect around the unit. <S> The slab should have a slope tolerance as described in figure 5, detail B" https://resources.lennox.com/FileUploads/31c2ac16-919c-41a1-ad0c-515f8351eccbLennox_14ACX_IOM.pdf <A> Refrigerant needs to flow through the coils evenly without too much interference from the slope of the unit. <S> A level concrete slab with rubber pads between the unit and the concrete is what the manufacturers recommend. <S> Get a half-inch thick outdoor rubber mat and cut it into 6"x6" squares. <S> Put single pieces on the high side and stack several pieces under the low side to bring the unit closer to level. <S> Be careful not to kink or damage the refrigerant piping to the unit when you do that. <S> If you damage the lines when you raise the unit to insert the pads, you will wish you had left it alone. <A> Outside A/C compressors are typically supported on a concrete pad, concrete blocks, or a vinyl pad such as the one shown in the photo at page top. <S> Compressors which are badly out of level may fail to function properly and need adjustment. <S> Tipping and moving compressors can also cause can cause leaks in refrigerant lines, leading to costly air conditioning service calls to evacuate and recharge the system after repairing the refrigerant leak. <S> Do not try to move your A/C <S> compressor yourself as you might cause a refrigerant leak or may otherwise damage the equipment. <S> For slightly-tipped air conditioning compressors we generally leave them alone <S> but we add support as needed to avoid further movement. <S> inspectapedia.com <A> Not being level can cause the oil for the compressor to not lubricate correctly. <S> Over time it will cause the compressor to burn out costing you lots of $ in the long run. <A> For a professional appearance it should not appear to be set without a thought to anything but function as if a war time situation where getting online asap is the priority. <S> The thought that an AC unit must be absolutely level or its wont work or work well is based on absorption type systems RV's used in the old days that used ammonia and a flame rather than a compressor. <S> Technically speaking, no it matters not if its level or even close to it, it can be at a slant but will look weird. <A> Our unit was off level quite a bit which caused damage that first caused it to perform badly before it quit completely and had to be replaced prematurely. <S> It was installed in 2000. <A> My outdoor a/c fan, condensing unit was making a metal sound when going on and off, that I thought was too loud. <S> The fan blades seemed OK. <S> I checked to see if the unit was level, and it wasn't. <S> In fact it was quite a bit out of level. <S> I leveled it, and now it is very quiet. <S> Joyce <A> Check the installation specs for your unit to see if it is supposed to be level (most likely) or slightly pitched. <S> There are some ACs (large Rheem units for example) that are supposed to be installed with a slight pitch towards the condensate drain. <S> If you aren't having any trouble then leave it alone. <S> If you are having trouble, then call a pro sooner than later. <S> Routine maintenance on an AC is much cheaper than having to replace one.
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The air conditioner compressor support pad should be level and secure against movement. "Mostly level" is probably okay for a residential unit.
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What size pool jets am I supposed to purchase for 1.5 inch pipes? In my pool, I have two white PVC pipes that push water out, where jets are supposed to fit to increase flow rate. The diameter of these pipes is 1.5 inches. I purchased a 5-pack of "Pool and Spa Eyeball Jet 1.5" Threaded to 3/4" Open" jets from an online retailer. I was sent a pack of 5 jets where the diameter of the threaded portion measured 1.75 inches, too big to fit in the 1.5" wall pipes. I returned the pack, and requested the correct size. Again, I was sent the same 1.75 inch pack back. The product is a Pooline item number 11211C. I found an independent description which measures the threaded portion as 1-1/2" MIPT . Below is a photo from the website referenced above showing the MIPT, and photos of the items I received with a tape showing measurement. Before I return these items for a third time, I want to make sure I am purchasing for the correct width. Am I simply being sent the wrong item, or am I asking for the wrong item? If so, what should I be asking for? <Q> Nominal pipe size is for the hole on the inside of the pipe, and that is still subject to "nominal" A pipe which is 1-1/2 inches (actually 1.557) on the outside is a 1-1/4" pipe. <S> A 1-1/2 inch pipe is 1.796 inches OD. <S> Here's a handy and very detailed chart/diagram <A> In my admittedly non-plumber experience, you're being sent the correct item, you simply don't have the correct adapter. <S> You need to get a 1.5" slip to 1.5" FPT adapter - they should be commonly available at your local big-box home improvement retailer in the plumbing section. <S> The slip side goes on the source pipe - you can ask the store personnel about how to glue it on (it's almost ridiculously simple) and what glue you need. <S> Take the nozzles you have with you as a CYA to make sure the adapter fits snugly when screwing them together - in the final isntallation, you may need an O-ring or thread tape of some form. <A> If you don't have threads, you can use what is called an "insider" or "Aussie insider" which fits smooth into the actual pipe without a female threaded adapter. <S> They come in sizes for 1 1/2" or 2" pipe.
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You have been asking for the wrong part, and have been sent the part you asked for, twice.
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How do I tell if my house is brick or brick veneer? I live in a brick house, and am interested in understanding whether it is brick or brick veneer, as a way to understand what kind of risks it (and we) may face during an earthquake. I hear that brick veneer is essentially a wood frame house with a brick facade and fares better in earthquakes than a pure brick home. Our house is in the Pacific Northwest of USA, was built in the early 1930s, and is a 1½ story home. Any advice on how I would know one way or the other? The foundation is bracketed to the wood framing that sits on top of. I assume this means it's a veneer, but would love to confirm. <Q> One way is by looking at the bond of the bricks. <S> Your bricks are arranged in a running bond or stretcher bond , which is always one brick thick: To be a structural brick wall it would have to be more than one brick thick, or have multiple wythes , and you would see headers, like this <S> : It's likely your walls are wood-framed with single-wythe brick veneer on the outside. <S> But to really know what was on the inside, you would have to see inside them. <S> The easiest way is to remove some outlet covers and look behind the electrical box. <S> If you see an open void, it's a wood-framed wall. <S> If the area around the box is completely solid, you might have concrete blocks making up the structure of the wall. <S> Beautiful house, by the way. <A> The frame is of wood. <S> The brick is a cladding on the outside. <S> It is not a veneer. <S> A veneer is fake layer of thin brick-like parquets that are secured with a cement or glue to a backing of some kind. <S> In other words a stone or brick veneer does not have full-sized bricks. <S> Your house does have full-size bricks, but they are not used for structural purposes. <S> It is just a layer or cladding on the outside used as decorative brick and weatherproof surface. <S> Brick is rarely used for structure in small buildings made in the last 150 years unless they are very small (one room structures). <S> Like you drill through the plaster to hang a picture and there is brick there. <S> Brick buildings do not require interior walls so they were mostly used for factories and warehouses where big open space is useful. <S> In a brick house there is no framing or sill. <S> There are just big cross beams that sit tenoned right in the brick and the joists hang across them. <S> The walls are all solid brick. <S> It is hard to know how well a given house will withstand an earth-quake, unless you are a structural engineer. <S> In earthquakes sometimes one house will fall down and another next door stays up. <S> Both quality of construction and design have a factor. <S> The type of house you have is called a "stockbroker Tudor." <A> Open a window and measure from the face of the brick to the inside wall. <S> If it's 14 plus inches, that's at least two courses of brick. <S> It will be obvious if it is; questionable if it's any less thick than that. <S> One brick (4") and a 2x4 stud wall = ~8" Two bricks and a stud = ~12 <S> " <S> Add 1" <S> if it's lath and plaster; add 1/2" for drywall. <S> Allow another 1/2" for 'play'. <S> You'd need to know if it's furring strips or a stud wall (one-by, 2x4's or 2x6's?) <S> . <S> 1930's construction, I'd have to assume furring strips, but do as Dirt suggests and look behind an outlet. <S> A measurement of ~10" could either be a single course with 2x6's, two courses with furring or just a giant gap. <S> You need to find the distance from the face of the wall, to the inner brick and subtract that from your original measurement. <S> Round to the nearest multiple of four, divide by four <S> and there it is. <A> Go to the inside face of an external wall and knock on it. <S> If it sounds hollow, then you (probably) have plasterboard over a timber frame, meaning the external bricks are cladding only. <S> If it sounds solid, then you (probably) have a structural brick cavity wall. <S> This method isn't foolproof (for example you might have a structural brick wall where somebody has put up battens before fixing plasterboard), but it's a good indication. <A> As the answers so far have shown, there are so many combinations of frame and masonry construction that most external signs can be deceptive in one way or another. <S> In fact, with a little ingenuity, one could disguise almost any type of construction as something else. <S> My house is brick & block, but it's dry-lined, so the the exterior walls seem hollow on the inside and the lintels are the same angle-iron one would find on an anchored-brick-veneer wood-framed structure. <S> Even the condo-docs are written up on the assumption that the buildings are wood-framed, since residential block construction is rare in the N.E. <S> U.S.A. . <S> There are even developments nearby with the same floor plans that were built wood-framed, with aluminum siding. <S> My favorite method of determining if a structure is wood-framed would be to look between the floor joists in the basement or crawl space where they go into an exterior wall; if you see a rim joist, it's almost certainly wood-framed from that point, upward. <S> If you see bricks or blocks separating the joists, the walls above are probably structural masonry, though they may well change to wood-framing further up; it's very common to have a ground story in masonry and a wood-framed story above that. <S> The more work you do to the house, the more of its inner secrets will be revealed.
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If your house used brick as the structure, it would be obvious because you would have thick 16" to 24" square brick pillars or columns going up through the center of the house upwards from the foundation and the walls would be solid brick.
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Best way to attach a steel t-beam to a wall? In my new flat I will build a huge platform into one of the rooms. It will be very much like a loft bed , but wider. I'm in a very early planning phase. The room is about 3m across (no plan or exact measurements available for now) and I want to span this width with beams. I'm seriously considering using steel t-beams instead of wooden beams. Products for fastening wooden beams are readily available. What would be the best way to secure steel beams to the wall? While I'm open to other options, I'm mostly looking for a product or thing that I can bolt to the wall and that will allow me to fasten my beam. Some facts: The beams will be perpendicular to the wall plus minus a few degrees The walls are thick 30-40cm, probably masonry Any cuts in my beams will be off by a few mm, so I need some tolerance along the beam direction The flat is rented, bolting stuff to the wall is ok but I won't chisel a hole in the wall or similar I want to avoid columns, unless the best fastening option is not good enough I have a master mason & carpenter whom I'll run my ideas by The room has a ceiling height about 4m Dimensioning Note The beam will span around 3m. let's say I and some of my stuff stand right in the middle, for 150kg. This would mean roundabout 0,75kN linear force on the support and a torque of 1,125 kNm. Let's add a safety factor of 2 and ignore (for an unknown additional safety factor) that not all my weight will be supported by one beam. We are at 1,5kN linear force and 2,25 kNm torque if I cantilever the thing. This is what the wall and fastenting will have to bear. If there's no reliable way a structure bolted to a masonry wall can support this, so be it. But I'd ba amazed since I've seen builds pretty similiar that didn't collapse. I didn't pay close attention to the fasteners, though. <Q> Alternatively, brackets can be bolted to both the wall and the beam. <S> Example of a simple connection . <S> Example of a full moment connection. <S> (Both examples are for I-beams, but the principle is the same.) <S> In your situation, it appears you are talking about significant structural works (i.e. you are talking about walking on the platform). <S> The idea of a DIYer attempting this worries me significantly. <S> If you don't know methods for connecting a T-beam to a wall, I suggest you are unlikely to know how to correctly size the T-beam, or design a sufficiently strong connection. <S> I advise you to consult a structural engineer . <A> There are some typical ways to support steel beam in a wall. <S> Choose right section. <S> I guess that I-beam would suit You better than T-beam, as I-beam has two flanges - both will work and make it durable, but apart of this upper one will help You to attach anything (platform), lower one will make it much more load-bearing than web of T-beam (if You intend to fit T-beam with flange on the top). <S> Make proper supports. <S> Three ways to do this: Place the beam inside the wall. <S> To attach steel beam to the wall You will need to make sockets (holes) with concrete under-beds. <S> Without these there will be too large tension from end of the beam to the wall, so the wall may crumble. <S> Concrete under-bed will help to redistribute this force to larger area. <S> I guess You could make some google-search for details. <S> Another way is to make a connection via welded plates on both ends. <S> This must be done with proper measurement and by welder (more people involved). <S> These can be bolted to the wall, depending on loads, measures, etc. <S> You can make spatial structure. <S> Wall connections would be (generally) for spatial stiffness purposes, loads could be delivered to the floor by some columns. <S> More steel, more cash, but least intrusive to wall <S> I guess. <S> The platform. <S> You could use it to make these beams stiff in horizontal plane. <S> If You make rigid fittings to beam's flange, whole structure will work nicely. <S> You may try to talk with some experienced peeps (some of them work in shops where You will buy Your steel) about that. <S> Last but not least - wall strenght. <S> There are walls and walls. <S> Try to figure out what kind of wall is that (if masonry - what materials and dimensions it has), post it here or talk about it with some pro (civil engineer?). <S> Michael Karas pointed out another issue in comment - is it Yours - the flat? <S> You will definately need an approval to make that change. <A> I would strongly discourage your idea of gaining storage space in the manner you are describing. <S> Instead procure some free standing shelving units that you can place along all of the walls. <S> There are a multitude of styles available from rivet lock types to near industrial wire shelving that have adjustable shelves to accommodate varying sized items. <S> Using shelves like this does not damage the rental property (as long as you protect the floor in some cases) and you can take them with you when you re-locate. <S> There are some additional advantages as well: <S> You get multiple levels of storage instead of just one. <S> You can stand up on the normal floor in the middle of the room instead of crouching over on or under the platform that you envision. <S> More items remain visible and accessible as opposed to shoving everything into the back corners of some deep platform. <S> Normal centrally located ceiling lighting in the room still remains useful.
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T-beams can be connected to walls by welding a flat plate onto the end of the T-beam, drilling holes in this endplate, and then bolting through those holes onto the wall.
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Stripping parquet floor glue to install underfloor heating We have a huge lounge in our new house (in the UK) and it is covered with parquet flooring which we dislike. The little wooden blocks are starting to work loose here and there, so I don't see it as too much of a problem to remove them. However, I expect the layer of black tar/bitumen/glue underneath is going to be rather firmly attached to the concrete base. I don't fancy scraping it off by hand. The room is 29x12ft! Since the room is always cold in winter, despite 2 wall-mounted radiators, I am thinking about installing underfloor heating (plastic pipe with hot water from the main boiler). The cost/effort of digging down an inch or two to make space for the pipes will absorb the problem of the black sticky stuff on top! So the question is: How much do I need to dig out (how deep, and over what percentage of the floor area) or should I forget the underfloor pipe idea (because you know a better way to strip the tar off)? <Q> You don't mention the age of the 'new' house.... <S> It depends on the floors construction. <S> Standard is to have a 50 to 75mm screed on top of a 100mm ish concrete subfloor on top of 150mm crushed and compacted hardcore/stone. <S> Insulation has only been added since the 1990's. <S> If so, you'd need to remove the whole screed and hope that it's not terribly bonded to the concrete subfloor (sometimes is, sometimes not). <S> But I'm worried about any house old enough to have original parquet flooring. <S> Then you're in trouble. <S> Removing or digging out as you say to a specific depth in concrete is difficult. <S> It's usually easier to remove the thing and start over. <S> Also heating a floor without insulation underneath is pretty ineffective, again it's best to... <S> Remove the floor, dig out, insulate, new membrane, new concrete, heating pipes set into a new screen. <S> Floor covering of your choice. <S> A lot of work. <S> However there are mechanical scraper devices for removing sticky substances/adhesives, but I'll not lie to you, <S> whichever way you do it will be hard work and take a while. <S> Depending on age I'd have some of the black adhesive tested for asbestos too, as it's possible.... <S> (but don't panic <S> , just don't create dust whilst working on the adhesive. <S> Tests are cheap, £30 or so) <S> Re: new info/comment... <S> Yes, insulation stops the heat going the wrong way if you like. <S> There's a couple of schools of thought, one is to insulate directly under the heat source, throwing all the heat upwards and some like to insulate under the 'mass' <S> if you like, then the heat soaks into the mass (concrete slab say) which acts much like a storage heater, evening out heat fluctuations etc. <S> You'll struggle to dig out the middle because of sealing the membrane etc. <S> Thinnest <S> /cheapest way IMHO is to (either follow what AndyT said) or glue back any loose blocks roughly, sand the whole thing flat (again roughly) and then fit a new laminate floor over a heating mat. <S> Try to get both from the same company for best reassurance. <S> Pergo 'quickheat' is as good as any. <S> You'd probably get it all in around 22mm or so. <A> Alternative solution: use an underfloor heating type which goes over your existing floor. <S> Polyplumb do one called Overlay, which was what we had installed. <S> 18mm thick panels are laid on the floor, which have grooves for the pipes to run in. <S> Obviously you're either a) going to need to put this in every room downstairs, or b) have a level difference between this room and the rest of your downstairs. <A> However, another possible option is to raise the floor by a regular stair step or slightly less. <S> In this case insulation, reflective barrier, heat tubing & finished floor can be optimized much cleaner, quicker & cheaper.
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It's possible that the little wooden blocks are glued straight on on top of a concrete subfloor. I agree with Handyman, start over with a proper modern job since you really can't just shave-off concrete.
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How to hang modern fixture over old square recessed box? I purchased a home built in 1958 and a few rooms have these square recessed light boxes. I would like to hang a larger diameter modern flush-mount fixture over them, but I'm not sure what the way to do that is. Should I remove the box completely and then mount a ceiling electrical box like this in its place? I'm worried there will be a large hole in the ceiling to have to fill. Thanks! <Q> If that was installed in 1958, the wire may or may not have PVC insulation. <S> If it's the old rubber insulation, it's going to be brittle. <S> Bending the wires could crack and compromise the insulation. <S> Also, it's virtually guaranteed that there is no ground wire in that fixture. <S> You should check local electrical code to make sure that replacing the fixture doesn't require you to bring the whole circuit up to code with new wire. <S> If it does, code requires a grounding wire everywhere, every metal fixture must be grounded, and you'll have to have a neutral in the switch box. <S> Personally, I would be looking to pull new wire to that spot, rip and replace the ceiling box, and enjoy the confidence that I didn't create a fire or electrocution hazard. <S> You can't make splices inside walls. <S> If the wires aren't long enough, they have to be spliced in a junction box. <S> (There are devices for splicing NM cable inside walls, but I doubt they're approved for use with 60 year old wire that isn't constructed with modern materials). <A> The decision as to whether you have to remove and replace the existing light box rests on a number of factors. <S> The electrical wire hookup to the existing light box appears that it may be under the access lid toward the rear part of the box in your picture. <S> There will be a question as to whether the existing wiring will be long enough to make it to the inside of a new ceiling fixture electrical box. <S> There may be issues with splicing into the existing wiring and having that dangle into the existing light box for the case where you might choose to leave the existing box in place. <S> An new surface mount light fixture would have to have a quite large base unit to fully cover the existing light box. <S> If that is achievable with the style of light that you want you could leave the existing box in place. <S> However you would still have to rig up some means for securing a new fixture in place. <S> Fixtures are usually designed to mount to an electrical box directly or to a metal bracket that spans across the electrical box. <S> Any means to mount the fixture to the light box would have to be customized bracket of some sort. <S> Removing the old light box does involve a ceiling patching job. <S> It the ceiling in the older house is lathe and plaster <S> this could be a lot more work than if the ceiling were constructed of drywall. <A> Inside that small access hatch in your picture you will likely find the original wire connections in a small box. <S> Open the access hatch and disconnect the power to the original bulb holder. <S> Some surface mount fixtures can be mounted directly over an open electrical box. <S> If this is the case simply leave the access hatch cover off and wire up your new fixture. <S> If not, and your fixture has an integral box for the electrical connection, leave the access cover off and pull the wires out of the original box and make the new connection in the integral box on your new fixture (hopefully the wires are long enough). <S> If you must extend the wires you will have to figure out how to make pigtail connections in the original box and replace the cover (I would use a punch to create a "knock-out" hole in the access cover and feed the pigtails through a strain relief). <A> I realize this is old, but I want to share my experience with these fixtures. <S> They make conversion kits, but I couldn't find one large enough to cover the old 14" square fixture. <S> I removed the old socket and hardware from the recessed box. <S> There was enough slack on the electrical wire to run to the new ceiling box. <S> I painted the wood, screwed it to the studs, and installed a standard fixture. <S> This won't work for everyone, but it works for me. <S> Don't be stupid, turn off the electricity.
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That is unless I could inspect the existing wire and the underlying box without damaging it, and gain an assurance that the existing wire will be safe and will reach appropriately into the new ceiling box. Make sure that power is turned OFF either at the switch (tape the switch in the off position and put a note there so nobody turns it on while you are working) or at the circuit breaker/fuse panel. I made my own conversion kit out of a 16" wood circle with a ceiling electrical box mounted in the center.
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Drywall tape required for patch to small hole? Is drywall tape required for a patch to a small hole that's fastened only to the surrounding drywall sheet? Specifics - I have a round hole, about six inches in diameter. I've patched it with a round piece of drywall. Drywall screws hold the patch to a board, and the board to the surrounding drywall. <Q> You don't need to use tape though. <S> Another method uses the patch piece of drywall's paper: <S> Square the opening to be patched. <S> Cut a pice of drywall about 4" x 4" larger then the hole. <S> Score the back side of the patch piece of drywall along lines 1 & 2, about 2" in from the end. <S> Place the drywall face down on a table, lining up the score line with the edge of the table and snap it along the line. <S> Repeat steps 3 & 4 for score lines 3 & 4. <S> Peal <S> the outer edges of the drywall off leaving just the front paper so that your pice looks like fig 2. <S> Place the patch pice over the hole and mud. <A> I've always taped repairs in drywall that require patches. <S> I can't give you a great answer as to why other than I've always been told without taping, eventually the joint compound will crack. <S> I've never personally tested that theory. <S> This thread might offer insight . <A> From a lot of trial and error adventures <S> I found the following to work. <S> Cut a patching piece of drywall roughly square, somewhat larger than the hole you are trying to repair. <S> Then, holding the patch so it covers the hole, draw a pencil line around the patch then cut along the pencil line to make the hole match the patch. <S> Take a relatively thin but wide piece of wood that is at least a couple of inches longer than the longest dimension of the hole. <S> Have a drill with a phillips bit in it ready along with four drywall screws. <S> Snake the piece of wood inside the hole and hold it so that it diagonally crosses the hole and put a drywall screw though the wall and into the wood, snugging the wood up against the backside of the wall. <S> Rotate the wood piece so that as much of the wood shows through the hole as possible and use another screw through the wall and into the other end of the wood. <S> Now the wood will support the patch in the next step. <S> Mark the wall with pencil marks <S> so you know where the wood disappears behind the wall on both ends of the hole. <S> Prestart the two remaining screws into the patch before putting it into the hole and back out the screws so that the points of the screws don't protrude out the back side of the patch. <S> Now, gently fit the patch into the hole and without applying much pressure on the screws, slowly run them into the wood through the patch until the screws are just snug and slightly dimple the surface of the patch. <S> The patch will now not shift, the main reason for cracks in taping. <S> Prefill the crack around the patch with a very thin coat of spackling. <S> Let dry a couple of minutes then repeat, gently pressing the spackling into the crack. <S> Now use either paper tape (if the crack around your patch is like a hairline, or mesh-type tape if the crack is larger then <S> say havel the thickness of a pencil. <S> Multiple very very thin coats which go on a fast, dry quickly and require almost not sanding... <S> this will make the job easy and look nice when you are finished. <S> Good luck. <A> Yes, tape. <S> I prefer the sticky fiberglass tape, especially for patches. <S> First I cut a patch. <S> I create a square one because its easier to tape. <S> After cutting the patch, I lay it across the hole and mark where the drywall needs to be cut. <S> Many times its good to cut a little extra out because the drywall has cracked on the back side. <S> Then cut the old drywall out to match the patch. <S> Before putting the patch in, I put a small board like a piece of paint stirring stick across the back of the hole. <S> Its fastened by two screws one on each side of the hole. <S> I then place the path in the hole and attach it to the board with another screw or two. <S> I predrill the holes in the drywall because the screws might not have enough byte in the small board to sink enough into the drywall so you can mud over them. <S> I then tape it and start putting mud on, a thin coat at a time.
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A hole that size should be taped to prevent cracking.
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How do you properly connect 3 x solid 2.5mm wires to a 4mm stranded wire? I have a single 4mm stranded wire I want to connect to 3 x 2.5mm solid wires. At the moment I've simply wound them around each other temporarily and sealed with electrical tape - but how is it done securely? <Q> Is this for AC wiring (more permanent house wiring, that needs to meet code, or for something else? <S> If I were you, I would look into wire nuts, they may be able to get it done the cheapest/most effective. <S> Also check out the splices used in this question about grounding Grounding wires <A> Alway trun off the power. <S> I use Klein Linemans/Pliers to twist the solid wires together, making sure that all the plastic covering of the wires line up. <S> Next I strip the stranded wire, a little longer then the solid wire, and that the plastic covering of the wire lines up and twist the stranded wire around the solid wire with the pliers. <S> Next using the plier I cut the tip of the new bundle wires, making sure to cut all of the wires, making a good bond. <S> Lastly I wire <S> nut them all together and pull on the stranded wire to make sure that is under the wire nut and does not come out. <S> If the stranded comes out, repeat proccess until it is all secure under the wire nut. <S> No copper should be showing once the wire nut is installed. <A> For example Wago lighting connectors can be used in nearly all electrical connections where a connection between solid and fine-stranded conductors is required for household and similar purposes in buildings. <S> Applications can be, for example, automated blinds or awnings, window or bathroom fans, boiler controller, tight connections of electrical devices with stranded conductors, circulating pumps etc. <S> There are also lever-action clamping connectors that allow solid, stranded and fine-stranded wires to be connected: <S> For example Wago 221 series <S> Other connector manufacturers exist.
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You can buy connectors made specifically to join stranded and unstranded wires
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Ac unit set on 74 My central air is set at 74. Yesterday and today, the house was up to 80. It has been very hot outside(90). Would this affect my ac unit? <Q> Assuming the question is why can't your AC keep your home cooler, there are several possibilities: <S> The AC is low on refrigerant, look for a temperature difference of 14-20 <S> °F between the return and vents to see if the unit is cooling efficiently. <S> If you're low, you will likely need to call a professional to pressurize the system and check for any leaks. <S> Dirty air filters. <S> These should be changed at least twice a year depending on the air quality, though many manufacturers will suggest monthly. <S> Frozen coils. <S> This is a sign of low refrigerant pressure, dirty filters, running the AC when it's too cold out, or having an AC that's over-sized for the home. <S> When this happens, airflow will stop, and you'll need to turnoff the AC to defrost the coils and correct the cause. <S> Insufficient insulation, especially in the attic or older single pane windows. <S> I would look for problem areas using an IR thermometer. <S> If you add insulation on top of existing insulation, make sure you don't have two vapor barriers (craft paper backing on the fiberglass rolls) and consider installing it perpendicular to the existing insulation to minimize gaps. <S> Insufficient weather stripping around windows, doors, chimneys, or any other openings. <S> Worst case you can feel these, see light showing through the crack, or notice them with the IR thermometer. <S> But for more thorough testing, you'd have a blower installed in a door to create a vacuum and use a smoke test. <S> As for whether running the AC when it can't keep up with the demand will damage it, only if it's low on refrigerant since that contains a lubricating oil. <S> When the refrigerant gets too low, the compressor will typically fail to turn on to protect from damaging itself. <S> Otherwise it's just standard wear and tear. <A> iLikeDirt is wrong. <S> Either the air conditioner is undersized or it not working properly. <S> You should check the air filters and air vents <S> but you may need to call in a specialist to check the unit itself. <S> My units have kept my house at 74 with outside temperatures over 100 and even that should not tax a properly designed unit that is operating correctly. <A> Your AC unit is fine. <S> YOU on the other hand, might be feeling a bit toasty. <S> Looks like you need more attic insulation and a radiant barrier.
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If your air conditioner cannot cool your house to 74 when the outside temperature is 90, then something is wrong.
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Need help choosing correct Allen or Hex tool I need to loosen a 3mm hex bolt in side an appliance. The simple"Allen Hex "L" shaped key does not let me reach and turn the bolt located in a tough position inside the appliance Have been told to get " a 1/4" drive socket with extension and an allen drive socket" I need a 3mm "hex bit" as I have always called them.It has to be a "male" shaped bit as the bolt is female. I need a holder for that bitAnd I need an extension arm But nothing is called that when I look on lineWhat is a "socket"? Is that another term for the bit?What is socket wrench? Is that another name for the holderWhy do I see so many female hex "sockets" and such few male ones? All help will be appreciated. What do I ask for? <Q> I believe you're looking for an allen head ratchet set, like the one below. <S> A trip to your local hardware or home improvement store might be in order so you can see some products to get a sense of whether or not they can fit in the small space you have before you make a purchase. <S> ( http://chapmanmfg.com/ , also available on Amazon ) <S> I've never used this particular manufacturer's tools (and this kit might be a little expensive for a one-time job) <S> so I'm not necessarily recommending this particular kit, but the kit includes a low profile ratchet that may work well in a tight space. <S> There are other kits out there that use a similar small ratchet. <S> Many ratchet sets use a standard 1/4" ratchet with an adapter socket that takes the allen wrench insert, so it ends up being a little bulkier than this ratchet above appears to be. <S> Here's an extreme example, this looks like a 3/8" ratchet with a 1/4" adapter on it, then the 1/4" adapter has a hex bit adapter, then the hex bit is on the end: <S> Another option - flexible drive for a socket wrench: <S> If you do get a standard ratchet with a 3mm hex bit, then you might be able to use a flexible drive for your ratchet to get into a tight space -- it can bend around obstacles while still being able to turn a fastener: <S> (Image from Amazon ) <S> One more option - a ball-head allen wrench: <S> Another tool that might be useful would be a ball-end allen wrench: (image from Amazon ) <S> The ball-end lets you insert it into the bolt at angle instead of having to go straight in. <S> However, the ball-end doesn't fit in the fastener head as securely as a standard squared off wrench, so you may not be able to give it enough torque to break loose a tight fastener. <S> Here's a closeup of the ball-end: <A> Depends on access. <S> Sometimes you must create access by removing parts. <S> Other times there is a access hole to go through with a bit on a long extension. <S> Or you can use a 1/4" 3mm hex bit with a 1/4" combo wrench to turn it. <S> Most of the time, if it seems like it is impossible, then typically you would be wise to disassemble further to gain access as most things are not that difficult to take apart. <S> Just take pictures as you go, put screws <S> back in holes they came from, <S> and/or use a pan to keep the parts organized. <A> This is Joel from Chapman MFG. <S> Thanks so much for suggesting our set! <S> We're a tiny shop (12 people) in Durham, CT and do not have a large marketing budget, so the majority of our sales comes from recommendations. <S> If you just need to reach one 3MM screw, we have a metric allen set for $13 http://chapmanmfg.com/products/2 <S> Or you can buy just the CM-13 ratchet and the CMS-43 3MM open stock ($7.05). <S> It won't let me post two links here but everything is available on our website, or you can give Peggy or Rebecca a call at 860-349-9228. <S> The benefit of our tools is that they ratchet instead of a ball allen which you need to remove with every turn, but again depending on your situation either might work.
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Without looking a picture of the fastener you need to reach, I believe a ball end allen or one of our ratchet & bit set ups is what you're looking for.
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Problem with tile cutting I'm tiling my bathroom floor with some large ceramic tiles (33cm x 33cm aka 13" x 13") and I'm having difficulty cutting them. I'm using a simple glass cutter , because the tile cutter for such large tiles is too expensive, and an angle grinder with a diamond disk gave a pretty dismal result (not to mention an absurd amount of noise). The glass cutter worked like a miracle - for the first tile that I tried to cut diagonally (corner to corner). After that, it's the same problem over and over again: I've scratched a pretty deep line with the glass cutter (even faintly visible in the picture), and I've positioned the tile-to-be-cut on top of an already glued tile on the floor. The scratch line matches the tile edge. Then I hit the corner with my fist to break it. And the result is in the picture. In the middle it breaks as it should, but closer to the edges it ignores the lines. This is still salvageable with tile nippers (I need the big piece), but it's annoying. What am I doing wrong? <Q> $65 at Harbor Freight or other import discounter. <S> You are wasting your time with a scoring cutter. <S> If you had a lot to do I would recommend a quality domestic saw, but for a one time job this saw will work so well you will kick yourself for not biting the bullet and buying one before you even started the job. <A> I think your problem is simply that you are using the wrong tool for the job. <S> To get good cuts in tile use a tool designed to cut tile, not glass. <S> They are similar but designed to do different jobs. <S> I have a tile cutter like this: . <S> The 'foot' is used to apply pressure and break the tile. <S> This pressure is applied closer to the cut. <S> It applies the force closer to the cut and not as abruptly as a punch. <S> Perhaps you could use a board or something else to apply your breaking force along the cut instead of in one place. <A> It sounds like you're being too aggressive. <S> You want to snap the tile with gentle pressure, not a sharp rap. <S> Score the tile, as you've done. <S> Place the tile on another tile, as you've done. <S> Place one hand flat, palm down on each side of the scored line <S> (place them close-ish to the line). <S> Apply gentle downward pressure to the tile, until it snaps. <S> A tile cutter works by applying a gentle force, evenly along the scored line. <S> You want to mimic that as best you can. <A> After wasting my money on tile nippers (they don't cut where they are supposed to any better that what you are having, IME) <S> I went the dry diamond blade in an angle grinder route, and short of a wet saw I can't justify, would not do it otherwise. <S> With dust mask and eye & hearing protection , of course; incredibly loud should not be something you experience directly. <S> With a tiny bit of practice it was able to give me excellent results, and I even got to the point where I was mitering wall tiles (redoing an old bathtub with the old tiles needing to be re-used, and no outside-corner pieces available.) <S> The worst part for my job was cutting very small tiles, but the method I used for that might help depending what your problems with quality of cut are - I had to clamp them in between two boards to hold them steady for a cut and provide a straight edge to follow. <S> Also the usual "use of an angle grinder generic advice" applies - don't force it <S> , don't let it twist in the cut. <S> Practice on some of your waste tile offcuts. <S> Alternatively, see about renting a wet saw at the local tool rental place, but if you have a dry diamond blade and an angle grinder, you should not need to, IME.
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If the right tool is unavailable you might try changing how you break the tile.
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What are the small white ants in my apartment and how do I get rid of them? I have an ant problem in my apartment. I have had several pest control professionals visit and spray but the ants keep reappearing. They could not identify the type of ants as they are very small and white. The ants do not appear to be going after food, grease or sugar. How can I determine what kind of ant I have and how I can redirect them not to come into my living space? <Q> There is no such thing as a white ants. <S> Termites are white, however. <S> Termites require two things: wood and water in the same location. <S> If you have termites, you need to eliminate any contact between wood and moisture in the house. <S> Note that wood in contact with the ground is automatically considered "moist". <A> Same as a few others mentioned, Google says no such thing as white ants, but does come back with a bit of useful info anyway. <S> From http://www.termitesgonewild.com/termite-identification/white-ants/ possibly a way to identify them <S> (pictures there too): <S> Although there is a tremendous number of subspecies of ants, ants are easily distinguished from termites by the ant’s three distinct body <S> segments: the head, thorax and abdomen (gaster). <S> Each segment is separated by a narrowing of the body. <S> Termites bodies in comparison are relatively straight. <S> In the case of flying ants and swarming termites, the termites have two pairs of equally-sized wings, whereas flying ants have a pair of large front wings and smaller back wings. <S> and this one gives what may be kid/pet-safe solution(can <S> cats/dogs handle cinnamon?) <S> : http://www.howtodothings.com/home-garden/how-to-kill-white-ants Other things that you can use as ant baits are cinnamon and sugar. <S> Mix cinnamon and sugar and put the mixture where the white ants are. <S> The white ants will be attracted to the sweetness of the sugar and since they are unable to digest cinnamon, they will die once they eat it. <S> Cucumber peel is another thing you can mix with sugar in place of cinnamon. <S> You need to replace the bait at least every week until all white ants die. <A> If it's anything like our regular ants at my house, we use dish soap and some water in a sprayer. <S> Works pretty well for us. <A> but hopefully you don't make sure you eliminate any moisture that's in contact with any timber/wood <S> I'd be getting the termite control in asap before any real damage is done Good luck <A> Sounds like you might be dealing with Ghost Ants. <S> Most of the ants which invade our homes are sweet eaters with the exception of the Fire Ant in the southern United States. <S> Go to a hardware store in pick up a bottle of (Terro Ant Killer about $4.50) and try it. <S> Do not use the cardboard squares which they supply on the box. <S> I would use a small piece of tin foil about 2 inches square. <S> Put it in the path the ants are going. <S> If the ants trail to it, take another piece of tin foil and place it in the path closer to where the ants are taking it. <S> Every hour or so, look at the bait and if it's getting smaller, add a couple of drops to freshen it up. <S> On average, the ants will trail to the bait taking it back to feed the main colony for about 4 hours. <S> Do Not use any sprays prior to or while baiting ants. <S> 23 Years in pest control <A> In Australia we call termites white ants. <S> I recently had someone out to my home because I had small white and black ants and they told me they were infant carpenter ants. <S> I had my house sprayed for these as they had eaten there way through several logs in my back yard. <A> They are NOT termites. <S> They are called ghost ants. <S> Termites are much bigger. <S> Ghost ants are so small you can hardly see them. <S> Terro ants baits work great <S> but you have to replace them periodically..! <S> Ghost ant smaller than finger print.
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I have heard the term white ants this is referred to as termitesIt sounds like you might have termites
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Brand New Nail Gun Makes a Dent but No Nails Come Out I just got a Blue Hawk air compressor and nail gun combo. I have added oil, I'm using 18 ga 5/8" nails and when I press the trigger a dent shoots into the wood but no nails. I called support and they were unable to help me. Any ideas? Is it just defective? <Q> Check the pressure <S> Check the recommended pressure range listed on the gun, and make sure the compressor is putting out a pressure within that range. <S> I've seen similar symptoms when the pressure was too low. <S> Presumably the hammer didn't have enough energy to move the nail, so it skipped over it instead. <S> Properly load the nails <S> If the nails are not properly loaded, they may not be fed into the line of the hammer. <S> You'll end up just firing the hammer into the wood, instead of a nail. <S> Engage the feeder <S> Make sure the nail feeding mechanism is in place. <S> If it's not, the nails will not be fed into the line of the hammer. <S> This again will lead to you firing the hammer, instead of a nail. <S> If they're not, the gun may not fire, misfire, or self destruct. <A> I'm not familiar with that specific gun, but it sounds like the spring that pushes the nails into the "chamber" isn't working. <S> Either it's broken/defective, or the gun somehow allows you to put the nails in wrong (which seems unlikely). <S> Take it back and see what the next one does. <A> I just had the same issue. <S> I checked the pressure, and knew the nails were compatible and what seemed to be properly loaded. <S> Looking closely into where the nails feed, I noticed a nail was jammed up right at the top inside the feeder. <S> I was able to open the top of the nail feeder and remove the jammed nail. <S> Now the gun works properly again! <S> This may be your issue. <S> If not continue troubleshooting with above suggestions. <S> Make sure to note if it is an oil free finish nail gun as I have a newer Rigid model that is oil free.
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Nail compatibility Insure that the nails are compatible with the gun.
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Are nail pops under vinyl flooring likely to worsen? I have been in my new Mobile home now for 5 months.Nails are starting to pop up slightly under the linoleum floor. Is this likely to get worse over time? <Q> It will certainly worsen. <S> The nails are probably coming up because the subfloor was not glued to the framing. <S> If you're not able to get satisfaction from that, you'll need to re-fasten the subfloor and reinstall flooring. <S> I'd probably run suitable screws at 12" intervals on all joists, then fill the dimples and overlay new vinyl. <S> An embossing leveler may be necessary to flatten the texture of the current vinyl. <A> It's hard to say one way or the other. <A> Definitely get the foundation checked-out & call for warranty service. <S> A framing member may have been damaged/defective or there may be a temporary support that was left in place instead of removed or the foundation is contacting the wrong area or not contacting enough areas.
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Not only will more nails work up, but the vinyl will very quickly wear through in those spots. It has a possibility of getting worse or the popping could be done. I agree that this is certainly a warranty issue.
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Window in shower enclosure: What to do about it, if anything? One of the quirks of my house is a 1945-vintage double-sash window, with wood trim and probably wood sashes, chest height, located above a tub where it could be nicely soaked by side-splash when taking a shower. I've always wondered what the designer was thinking... My current solution for it is a multilayer kluge: glass frosting for privacy, inside trim mostly spar-varnished, and finally a shower curtain spread across that wall so it shouldn't get splashed under normal conditions. (Just steamed.) Massive overkill, I presume. What would the right solution be, given that I'm not eager to reconstruct the wall or replace that window? <Q> If it's an old house, it may have originally been a claw-foot tub with a full surround curtain. <S> And the window was the ventilation. <S> Make sure the vinyl trim is glued and sealed. <S> That would get rid of the 'wood in the shower' issue. <A> I was about to put a comment, but it may be too long, so I go for an answer ( <S> sorry, if it's not so good...). <S> Aestethical solution. <S> As the curtain is already in place, i's quite awful-looking (imho, of course). <S> If my intention would be to leave window in place (cuz I like the idea of some fresh air or/and more light during daytime) and replace curtain with hardened glass spaced like 5-10cm from the wall, larger than the window so no water would reach it. <S> Who needs Windows after all? <S> Another one - with ventlator. <S> Remove window, install a ventilator in place, You may cover the space that will most probably be 'visible' with a bathroom shelf. <S> This combo may be designed in many ways, so it's hard to formulate this answer here. <S> Experiment, check with people that live with You (if any). <A> Hm. <S> Possible answer to my own question, synthesizing what others have said: <S> Another option would be to frame in and close off the bottom half of the window (improving privacy and reducing splash), and replace the top half with a swinging/tilting window. <S> Largest complication would be properly closing the outside of the house; I presume I could just install and seal a plywood panel, then install cedar shakes to match the surrounding (staggering the rows and re-staining <S> so this difference between old and new is less visible). <S> Not sure it's an improvement over redoing the window in its current size, just closer to what I would have done if I was doing this from scratch. <S> A chest-view window doesn't bother me , that much, but it might perturb guests. <S> Worth noting: Closing off a window space is a lot easier than opening one, since you don't have to reframe -- you can leave the framing in place and just toenail in new cripple studs to fill the gap and support the surfaces. <S> You'll confuse the next person to open that wall, but such is life.
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If you want to keep the window (as it sounds like you don't want to seal it off), one option would be to replace it with a vinyl window with vinyl trim. If You care to remove the window and fill this gap, that would definately be no-problem solution, given that it's ok with You to forget that window.
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What type of lubrication should I use on a squeaky swing set? There's a bracket around the top tube with a hole in it. A bolt passes through the hole, to hold a doodad that the swing chain can be connected via an S bolt. When the swing swings, it makes an awful squeak. I was originally thinking of spraying it with silicone spray, but then thought white lithium grease or powdered graphite would be better. It's metal on metal contact, and outdoors. What would be the most appropriate lubrication to use in this situation? <Q> Since this is exterior, and I'd be too lazy to oil it after the first time, I'd use grease. <S> It's the preferred maritime lubricant, and that's good enough for me. <S> White Lithium Grease – joneakes.com <S> Lithium Grease is that thick white grease you often find packed into bearing housings. <S> It is the workhorse of the lubricants and can take high temperatures and pressures. <S> If you have a grease housing which will hold extra grease, using a thick lithium grease from a tube or a can is the best thing to do. <S> They have now come out with Lithium spray greases. <S> These are great for outdoor uses, tending to be thicker and stay put longer under the rigors of outdoor conditions than other sprays, but they are not intended to replace the even thicker grease that you pack into a gear box. <S> They are definitely a grease and will stain clothing as well as attract dust when used openly, so although a great lubricant, not the best product for a bicycle chain. <S> Be sure to shake the can well before using. <S> Google search: Marine Lubricant/Grease <A> Understand that whatever grease, oil, spray etc. <S> that you put on this joint will, when warm, eventually migrate down the chain an onto the children's hands. <S> I would leave it alone and welcome the sounds of happy children. <S> When they are teenagers and long gone from your back yard, you will want that memory, trust me. <A> My favorite lube is Super-Lube. <S> It contains PTFE (Teflon if you're DuPont). <S> The grease is pretty water resistant, so rain won't wash it away. <S> It also comes in a spray can. <S> Their website is here . <S> It's also great for guns. <S> It withstands high temperatures (>500, if memory serves) and doesn't flow. <A> I would use 3in1 oil, it lubricate moving parts, penetrate rust, it is great for cleaning and protecting. <S> I have used this for year on the most stubborn tool, door, outside faucet handle and so on. <S> I would use 3in1 oil at the Swing Fastener, putting drops starting at the top and working my way around, on both sides. <S> Move the parts until it stop squeaking, clean up any excess oil and or gunk and repeat every 3 months. <A> Okay, I'm totally editing this answer. <S> I still stand by that... <S> However; what if you went high-tech and installed a couple of actual bearings? <S> :-) <S> The picture is a couple of high tech racing bearings that go on something like a Porsche 911. <S> They just looked like something that would be easy to clamp onto the swing, with small enough journals to run a bolt through and clamp them up nice and tight. <S> There are lots of other bearings to choose from. <S> You could even find some teflon bearings or even teflon tubes just the right size for the bolts--no lubrication ever again. <S> Original answer: <S> Something like 3-in-1 oil or even silicone lubricant spray is great for penetrating rust and getting stuck parts to start moving again, but long-term <S> I think you might want something a little heavier. <S> I have doubts about the powdered graphite. <S> Motor oil is actually one of the best lubricants for car door hinges, for whatever that's worth. <S> Personally, I'd probably clean those up with either a solvent (which will evaporate) or motor oil, or both, then pack them lightly with axle grease. <S> I'd do it just like you were packing wheel bearings, so that you get it squeezing out the other side, then wipe away the excess on the outside. <S> I just think that would last longer than just about anything else, and protect the metal from rusting, which is where a lot of the squeak is coming from. <S> Lithium grease might be really good, too. <S> It or axle grease, same difference probably. <S> As for silicone spray (garage door chain lubricant), I've used it on my motorcycle chain <S> and it's okay-ish. <S> It's convenient because I can put a newspaper or rag behind the chain and spray it in there to clean and lubricate without getting it on everything else. <S> But it doesn't seem to really last out in the elements. <S> I'm going to stop that and go back to a regimen of putting the bike up on a jackstand, cleaning the chain with a soapy brush, rinsing and drying and then soaking it in engine oil.
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My first answer was basically: products like 3-in-1 and silicone spray are great for loosening up stuck parts, but too light for long-term lubrication, pack it with grease (lithium grease, axle grease, pick your poison).
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How can I keep a door open wide enough for my cat to get through but not my big dog? I need a 'safe room' for my cat to go in to use the litter box away from the dog, who thinks it contains treats. I need the door the stay open a few inches without my Labrador Retriever having the ability to enter the room. She is Houdini so it needs to be something she can't push open. Any suggestions? <Q> It may seem too simple to work, but you just need to cut your own tailor-made cat door. <S> Basically, a cat can get through any opening it can fit its head through. <S> This usually works against us cat owners, since the beasties have a mind of their own and like to explore. <S> This time, it may work in our favor. <S> So: Measure cat head (breadth), add 1/4 inch to make things easier. <S> Cut opening in door about that width, of reasonable height (8" should do the trick, perhaps even less). <S> Teach cat to go through the door, perhaps with some treats on the other side. <S> Watch dog try to fit her wide head through the opening, fail miserably. <S> Watch dog proceed to try to make opening wider by scratching. <S> Patch up the sides of the opening with metal. <S> Hope <S> this helps (the cat). <A> You can use cat tunnels that are elevated above where the dog is able to reach. <S> Google has several images of cat tunnels at ceiling height , it is important to check for wires before installing elevated access ways, but cutting and patching holes in drywall is much easier then cutting and patching holes in doors. <A> When I had cats, I used a doorway gate that they sell to keep small children away from steps or out of a room. <S> The cat goes right through it but the dog can't. <S> source <A> How about a cat flap or cat passage _away from the door and above the dog's easy line of sight -- possibly from a shelf the cat can climb or jump to, with similar access on the other side of the wall? <S> And that kind of cat-specific housing design is wonderful for amusing and confusing friends. <A> A long thin wedge on the floor, or a longer than average " door chain " set up so you can reach in and release it, the cat can get in, but the dog can't get in. <S> This might just be a matter of changing how the chain catch is oriented so it can be opened by reaching through the door, or it may require lengthening the chain. <A> You might consider a door guard Images and links are for illustration only, not an endorsement of goods or sources.
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I think that would be something the cat could quickly learn to use but that simply wouldn't be an idea the dog would grasp, especially if the door itself is hidden so the dog thinks cat just went up there to sleep. I'm going to try for an outside-the-box solution: Also the dog will not try to dig their way through the door.
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Was this a shear wall? Could anyone be able to tell me if this is a shear wall just by looking at this picture? This is a 1940s home, renovated in 2000s near San Andres fault, Northern California. This wall is now replaced with glass and door was relocated to the other side. Should I be worry if this is in fact a shear wall? Thanks. <Q> I'm no expert, but AFAIK, the frame of a shear wall is (by definition) clad with plywood, OSB, or somesuch, not just with sheetrock. <S> From the looks of the chunks of sheetrock on the floor and remaining on the frame (top center), only sheetrock appears to have been removed on “this” side (exposing the framing we can see). <S> The other side, which we can only see the back of, looks to be sheetrock as well, based on the white seam you can see just above the noggins, which looks like the front white finish paper folded over the edge onto the brown backing paper. <A> I'm in the process of seismic reinforcing my house (built in the 1910s) and from what I've seen, yes that wall was originally intended to be a shearwall. <S> It has a doubleheader and <S> the diagonal bracing was -- for the time -- their attempt at giving it some shear strength. <S> It might have originally clad in plywood or plaster and lathe -- now long gone. <S> You might want to have a structural or seismic engineer <S> come take a look at your house -- <S> even if that wall isn't structural, there might be other enhancements you might want to make before the Big One comes. <A> In residential wood construction today, shear walls are almost always constructed of plywood panels specially nailed to the framing. <S> The diagonal piece shown in the photo may be a remnant of construction Unlike vertical load-bearing walls, shear walls do not necessarily have to be continuous from the top of the structure to the foundation, although they typically are. <S> So if there is no wall or foundation underneath this one that is a good sign. <S> However I should point out that building codes, especially seismic codes, have changed dramatically since your house was built. <S> From some quick searching online it looks like seismic codes in California were not systematically applied until the 1960s. <S> In the absence of dedicated shear walls, regular framing, drywall, etc. does provide a small amount of lateral resistance. <S> I doubt that little wall was doing very much but technically you probably did weaken the structure a bit.
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They are common on exterior walls since there is often plywood sheathing anyways, although they can be interior. It may be impossible to tell if there was any seismic design done at all, unless the house has been substantially renovated.
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Protect from 3D Printer fumes I'm planning to buy 3D Printer that can only print with ABS (Zortrax). I have a small child (3 months old) at my flat so I'm afraid that fumes can have negative impact on her health. What should I buy or make to absorb fumes produced by 3d Printer? Are there any solutions tailored specially for 3d Printing ? What kind of filters should be used ? <Q> Having done 3D printing with ABS myself, I'm familiar with this challenge. <S> You need to exhaust the fumes--that's the long and short of it. <S> Locate the printer near a window, open the window, and have a fan blowing air out the window every time you use the printer. <S> Crack a window on the other side of your house for make-up air purposes. <S> Or print with PLA, which does not generate nasty fumes. <S> PLA is a nice material and smells a little like popcorn when melted. <A> Look into a downdraft table that you can exhaust outside. <S> These are typically used for sanding or painting but the premise is the same. <S> The table is perforated and sucks air down and then out to a dust collector or other exaust mechanism. <S> You would place the printer on the table and ensure the exaust is running while you print. <A> I would NOT depend on any sort of filter.
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I would suggest a box (perhaps a prefab cabinet) around the printer, and a duct leading to an exhaust fan connected to the box, leading to outside (through a wall, or if renting, through a fan-plate inserted in a window opening.)
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Can I glue vinyl flooring to my bathtub's side panel? We’ve just bought our first house, and obviously have very little money at the moment. The bathroom is horrible and we’d like to make some small changes to at least make it look slightly nicer. As part of that I’d like to take out the old laminate floor, to let the wooden subfloor dry as it has been wet for ages due to a small leak. Afterwards I’d like to put down some cheap vinyl. The bath side panel, is made out of some horrible brown plastic. Could I just glue my floor vinyl to that to make it look nice and (mosaic) tiled? Would it be possible to do it continuously from the floor with a 90 degree angle at the bottom? Or would two sheets be better for this? <Q> You can glue what ever you want to the side of your bathroom tub. <S> Will it hurt anything? <S> No. <S> Will it look good? <S> Highly debatable. <A> Bending cheap vinyl tile 90 deg to fit the join between the bath panel and the floor will result in cracks and leaks, and your wooden floor will be wet again. <S> Lay the vinyl tile on the floor up to the bath panel just as if you thought that brown plastic was tres chic . <S> Use recommended adhesive and seal all the joints, tile to tile and tile to plastic. <S> Then, after that job is finished, use something like contact cement and more vinyl tiles to decorate <S> the bath panel to match the floor. <S> You might want to experiment with various contact cements and glues to find one that will hold the tiles but can be removed without damaging the brown plastic. <S> That way, if you don't like the way it comes out, you can undo the decoration and try to paint the panel. <A> As per my knowledge vinyl flooring manufacturers do not allow glue down directly to the bath panel. <A> I am going to put leftover floor vinyl on side bath panel, fixing with vinyl double-sided tape, temporarily stapled, trim with craft knife. <S> Easy-peasy, it's no big deal.
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If the join between the vinyl floor ant the bath panel is waterproof, you don't have to worry about leaks in the decoration.
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LED lights delayed when turned on I had my house built last year and after moving in noticed that in our living room (6 led downlights) when we turn our lights on 5 turns on at once and the 6th one will be delayed ranging from 1/2 sec to 5 sec to turn on... the electrican came to have a looked last year but said its cause the 6th bulb was installed later so it takes longer to turn on (which frankly we thought was BS as we had downlights previously in our old house and always turned on at same time). The switch controls the living room lights (6 leds), the alfresco (4 LED) and the external flood light, no dimmers. Anyways it really wasn't big an issue, had someone else had a quick look but he couldn't really tell, so left it, a year pass and not longer is the light still playing up, also the dining and kitchen lights are being funny... taking longer then normal to turn on. We had our 1year maintenance and totally forgot about the lights! I am concerned it might be the actual wiring behind that's the issue, can anyone advise if this is normal behaviour for LED downlights or if they reckon its more serious than that and we should call the builder back to have a look? Thanks in advance, hopefully this makes sense to those reading! <Q> It's not the wiring. <S> It's the LEDs themselves. <S> LEDs have a characteristic delay when turning them on which may be more than you're used to from a lifetime of incandescent bulbs. <S> Swap the LEDs from one position to another, and the problem should move with the bulb. <S> Replace the LED with the equivalent incandescent (temporarily) <S> and it should go away entirely. <S> Unfortunately, home LEDs are still relatively new and they suffer from both this characteristic delay --- which may vary from brand to brand -- and manufacturing variation --- where bulbs from the same manufacturer may vary, even within the same batch. <S> The only way to avoid these issues is to closely watch online and professional reviews (from trusted sources) to pick the better-performing brands; return any product to the store that is an "outlier" in the same room -- or, wait another few years for LEDs to mature (I'm serious) and just live with it for now. <A> Are they on a dimmer? <S> It's not the wiring <S> it's the dimmer switch. <S> Find out the brand led bulb (or led trim) and see witch dimmer is compatible with that brand. <S> Then buy that dimmer and install it. <S> All done!! <S> :) <S> Ps <S> it's probably a lutron AY-153P-wh <A> I have LED bulbs all over the house. <S> I have never had a delay; they turn on instantly. <S> CFLs have a delay. <S> No problems since the new switch was installed. <S> Since you have no dimmers, it might be the on/off switch or the wiring.
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I originally had a problem as you describe, but that was due to an incompatible dimmer switch. I run an electrical wholesale company and this comes up all the time.
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How can/should I mount this porch light? I want to mount a porch light on my outdoor shed/office. I recently had an electrician place interior wiring however I elected to do the fixtures myself. Uh oh. Here's what the back of the porch light area looks like (on the inside of the shed): Here's what the front looks like: Here's a picture of the light I want to put on the outside: The wall is a solid piece of wood about 1.5 inches thick so I don't think there's room to add a fixture bracket. So... I'm stumped. How should I attach the light? <Q> Not sure if it's the "approved" method, but I've seen it quite a few times (mostly for fixtures on the front of a garage). <S> The fixture wires are fed through the hole into the box inside, where the electrical connections are made by approved means. <S> Then the fixture is simply mounted directly to the wall, typically with a gasket between the fixture base and the wall (should be included with the fixture). <S> You might use a bit of duct seal or similar, to seal the hole where the wires pass through. <S> The gasket should keep weather out, but the duct seal will help keep the bugs out. <S> The "proper" method, with a normal wall, is to build an appropriately sized box into the wall. <S> Then weather seal the fixture to the box. <A> I would opt to use a 1/2 pancake box 4" in diameter. <S> The NEC code does not permit the canopy or empty space of a fixture to substitute for cubic wire space for wires larger than #16 gauge. <S> And a 4" pancake boxes cubic space legally can only hold one 14/2. <S> Since you already have the wire conduit on the inside of the house I would also consider using something like this box to mount the fixture to. <S> After reading a lot of the great comments I wanted to update my answer with some new advice. <S> Because a 4" pancake box is limited on the cubic depth you would need a round extension. <S> 1/2" will add an additional 3.3 cubic inches. <S> A 3/4 extension would add an additional 5.0 cubic inchesOne 12/2 would require 6.75 cubic inches so a 1/2" extension would suffice. <S> Installing the pancake box and the 1/2" plaster ring would require 1" of depth so that leaves you only 1/2" of wood to mount the box to. <S> Using three or four weather rated 1/4" wood screws would secure the box without penetrating the interior side. <S> As a side thought maybe you could only recessed the pancake box 1/2" and leave the plaster ring concealed behind the light box. <S> From the picture it appears to have enough room to conceal the extension ring. <S> Keep in mind <S> you will probably need to rotate the box so the mounting bracket that comes with the light will not interfere with the box or the extension rings screw holes. <A> This has the advantage of giving you more depth to mount a receptacle box. <S> You can use 3/4 inch material (nominally 1x ) or larger, such as 5/4 stock. <S> You can then cut a hole, using a hole saw through the new block and the siding underneath giving you enough depth for a much deeper box , like this one <S> It also has the advantage of making it easier to get the base of the lamp vertical. <S> After the box is set, I would caulk the entry point of the wire and around the box itself. <S> After the lamp is mounted, unless the fixture has its own gasket, caulk around the top, sides and all but a small section of the bottom (a weep hole just incase any moisture gets in.)
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A pretty common approach is to build a small platform for the lamp to sit on, something like this
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How do I get vinyl tile off of plywood flooring? I am in the process of removing vinyl tiles off of a cheap plywood looking floor in my bathroom. I am not sure how long they have been there but it's not just the adhesive I am having a problem with. The tiles don't want to come up at all. I am not real worried about getting up all the adhesive. I'm putting vinyl flooring down. I just cannot get the tile up. I'm trying to be cheap but want to do it so the other flooring will lay nicely. I have tried using hot vinegar and water but it's not working very well. It's just coming up in tiny pieces after hours of spraying it and trying to scrape it off with a putty knife. I'm not sure what to do. <Q> Vinegar is not going to be effective at remove the tiles, but what is effective is a bigger tool. <S> Since you are looking to save money, you might be able to get away with using a cheap scraper. <S> It will look like a putty knife but a lot stiffer and have a wider blade. <S> Then using a hammer (wear gloves and glasses), just start tapping the scrapper under the tiles to get larger pieces up. <S> Once these tiles are up, you will need to get your sub floor (the cheap plywood) to be smooth. <S> If you got nail pops, rough areas from glue or gashes these will need to be leveled before you put the vinyl down. <S> Vinyl is not very forgiving in hiding defects. <A> I highly recommend getting an oscillating multitool and rigid scraper attachment. <S> Here's a video showing one tackling vinyl tile: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SyebrvFcOak <S> On my concrete basement floor with old, brittle tiles and very stubborn adhesive, I went from getting up 1 tile per half hour using handheld tools (a rigid handheld scraper and a push-broom style scraper with a 5" head) to 1 tile per 2 minutes with no fatigue. <S> When I was using hand tools, I would switch back and forth between sitting with a handheld scraper and standing with the push-style to work different muscle groups when one set of muscles started to fatigue. <S> The multitool was easily worth the money to me for not having to spend a few hours just to get up a couple tiles every day after work. <S> If the price tag still seems steep, here's another selling point on value:The oscillating mutitool I bought has since went on to become the most versatile tool in my tool kit. <S> With just a couple more relatively inexpensive attachments, I have used it to: sand wood and drywall smooth/sand down rough sections of concrete <S> perform punch cuts into drywall for outlet boxes <S> cut out tile grout and brick mortar <S> perform precision cuts in wood <A> Try heating with heat gun some vinyl adhesives soften enough when hit to enable your scaling tool to glide under the tile <A> Buy an ice chisel or roof shingle scraper (a 5 foot handle on a straight edge scraper, not serrated). <S> Sharpen the edge if necessary. <S> Push it firmly and slowly beneath the edge of the vinyl tile. <S> Wiggle back and forth or slide it hard against the tile's bottom. <S> Eventually the sharpened edge should slip beneath the tile and let you pry it up. <S> You could do the same with a hand tool, but the large scraper should work better. <S> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Razor-Back-3-75-in-Forged-Ice-Chisel-81106/205352554 <S> The scraper blade may cut into the plywood. <S> If the divots are large / deep, you can patch with bondo or epoxy before laying the new surface. <A> As Kris said, a heat gun will help loosen the adhesive. <S> Heat guns are all different. <S> You want to try a heat setting that will heat up the tile enough so you can peel it off, but not so hot that you burn or char the tile. <S> With the heat gun, slowly heat up the tile and use sweeping motions over it, avoiding being too close to the work as well as holding the heat in one small area too long. <S> Once it is hot enough, it should allow you to start prying it up. <S> Try to remove the tiles in as few pieces as possible, and remove as much backing paper and mastic as you can with the scraper. <S> Depending on the tile, it may have toxic chemicals in it, so you should have a good amount of ventilation. <S> Some old tiles may even have asbestos in it, so using a mask would be a good idea if there is a chance of that.
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Working from the edge of the tile, apply heat to it and begin to gently pry underneath it with a floor scraper. You can get a corded oscillating multitool for around $50 and the scraper attachment for about $10.
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How will concrete fill in? So I am pouring some footings for a deck I am building and my current plan is to dig a hole that is 18" wide and 18" deep. I'm then going to suspend a sonotube about 6 inches above the bottom (using a scrap wood frame). My idea is to pour concrete in through the sonotube and have it splay out at the bottom, but once the concrete fills the bottom of the hole up to the sonotube, that it stop filling the hole. I'm not sure if that was confusing or not, so I drew a crude picture. The blue line is as high as I want the concrete to go in the hole. The red "X"s should be empty space in the hole and the sonotube in the center should be filled with concrete. My question: If i take this approach will the concrete fill in as I have drawn in the picture, or will the concrete in the sonotube keep pouring out and fill the hole all the way to the top? <Q> This is a reasonable concern, but not necessarily a problem. <S> It is not uncommon to have concrete forms the way you describe. <S> A very wet mix will run all over the place, a very dry mix will hardly flow out the end at all. <S> This property is known as the "slump" of concrete, measured in inches. <S> Slump value range from 1" <S> (very thick, hard to work with) to 6"+ (very liquid). <S> If you are mixing the concrete yourself, aim for somewhere in the middle. <S> If the concrete is being delivered, talk to the supplier about your use case and they should help you. <A> Agree with Henry, as long as you can hold/get the tube stable you'll be fine. <S> Use a nice rolling mix, not too wet and use a length of rebar (or wood in a pinch) and drive it in and out of the concrete to act as a crude vibrating poker (gets rid of air and avoids empty pockets). <S> I'd probably try a slightly dryer mix until you get into the tube to reduce the 'slump' in the bottom of the hole. <S> (p.s. been paddling around in concrete for 30 years....;-) ) <A> How about pour the concrete around the tube first, letting it set a short time, then pulling the tube up, embedding a couple of pieces of rebar in an X formation across that hole, then lifting the form and pouring the rest? <S> That;s what I would do; if I were doing that. <A> I poured three Deck Footers (Stairs) - two 10" tubes, and one 8" tube yesterday in 45 degree weather, and each about 30" in length. <S> I filled the concrete to the top of the tubes. <S> The tubes were each about 12" above the hole bottom, and the holes were between 12-14" in diameter - the concrete went down the tube and filled the bottom approx 12" deep cavity below the tube bottoms, and then rose within and inside each tube, without the concrete squeezing down further, and 'oozing' up the outside of the tubes. <S> I made the mix with a rental electric mixer from Home Depot - highly recommended, and less than $40 for 4 hrs, and used slightly more than the Sakrete bag instructions of water for Sakrete 50 <S> Lb <S> Fast Setting bags - 2 Gallons for 3 bags (2.5-3.0 Qts per bag, or roughly 2 gallons for 3 bags).WORKED GREAT!!!
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The solution depends largely on the consistency of the concrete mix.
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Electrical box - What are all these wires? I want to install a light fixture on a box that's in the ceiling. I opened it up and I saw WAY MORE wires than I expected. I expected just a green, black and yellow wire. Here are two photos of the wires. Here's a close up. Can someone explain what each of these wires do? I see a single green wire, a single blue, 4 green wires twisted together, 4 white wires twisted together, 4 yellow wires twisted together, and a single red wire that I can't pull out of the box. Which one do i use as my ground, live and neutral wire? Just to give some context, I live in a condo in Toronto, Canada. The condo was completed in 2014. Thanks. <Q> Some condos are multi-use, i.e., both residential/commercial mix, so maybe it's possible <S> the yellow is a high leg, 277V for the common area lighting that is just there for "future development". <S> Ask the building superintendents. <S> They are usually filled with many great stories of advice. <A> It might be possible that more than once the electrical work has been carried out after the house has been constructed. <S> These multiple wires has to be checked whether which one is the live wire, neutral and the earth wire. <A> Can someone explain what each of these wires do? <S> I see a single green wire, This is a grounding pigtail that was supposed to ground the junction box itself. <S> It should be joined to the other greens most likely. <S> a single blue hot leg of a 120/208 system? <S> 4 green wires twisted together <S> almost certainly earth ground <S> 4 white wires twisted together Neutral, most likely. <S> Are you sure those aren't 'grey' instead of white? <S> only real guess would be a hot of a 277/480 and a single red wire that I can't pull out of the box. <S> another 120/208 hot that is traveling to another junction box. <S> Which one do i use as my ground, live and neutral wire? <S> With no other information, I don't think you have what you need there to wire a 120v light. <S> But you should probably make mgmt do this. <S> 277 has become quite common in large buildings for lighting. <S> Carefully measure the voltage between yellow and grey, and between yellow and ground. <S> In 277/480, neutral is Grey, not white, and yellow is a hot. <S> Is this a large building with significant electrical utility rooms and the like? <S> I'm also going to guess concrete slab ceiling? <S> That would be a common reason to run 120 and 277 in the same conduit, <S> but then where's the 120/208 neutral? <S> I'm guessing that red wire doesn't have a junction in this box, but runs down conduit to another. <S> Pictures from another angle would help. <S> (To know what is coming from what direction.) <S> But you might just want to put the lid back on and back away slowly!
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You must check the voltages with a multimeter to verify the existing voltages. You MIGHT be able to install a 277v light using green for ground, the grey bundle for neutral and yellow for live. 4 yellow wires twisted together I think this is the time you call building management and make them explain what the hell they were thinking. Something is off here....
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How do I stop my under cabinet light plastic covers from falling down In our kitchen, we have under cabinet lights. The plastic covers keep falling down. The covers click into place just fine. But after a few days they fall down. Is there a way to secure them? Obviously, I don't want to use super glue. <Q> I guess that some clips or other parts that make this 'click' work are not catching firmly and/or are bending as because of temperature. <S> I would try to adjust them if possible <S> (if these are like metal parts) to grip more firmly. <S> If that doesn't work You can either remove these light covers and make a complain in a shop You ordered them (as it shouldn't be a proper way of behaviour) or use less elegant ways to make them stay in place (duct tape on other side - not visible to You). <S> Super-glue or something isn't welcome. <A> You might try cutting strips of 3M adhesive Velcro, if there's a suitable place for both the hook strips and loop strips to be sufficiently concealed. <S> (I'm thinking folded paper, or rubber, or foam) After that, depending on style of the cover, I'd try to find or make a wire spring loaded to hold the cover in place. <S> The friction at the two ends of the wire should be plenty to hold a plastic cover against the force gravity, hook or no hook. <A> They loosen over time, and it's annoying. <S> Ultimately, the only true fix is to replace the light with a new one that has its initial grip, and hasn't been removed for bulb replacements over the years. <S> However, to avoid adding something to your light lens that may be affected by the heat, just a trace of beeswax applied around the interior of the outer trim will add some 'sticky' which is usually enough to keep the lens in place. <S> Not too much... just a little. <S> If using the velcro idea, or any other approach which adds material affected by heat, consider changing your bulbs to LED. <S> (This will also keep you from getting burned if you touch the light accidentally, it keeps heat out of the cabinet, it allows you to set things directly under the lights if you need to, and it might even save a dollar's worth of electricity. <S> The LEDs used to be much dimmer than the halogen, but they have gotten much better.
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Alternatively, you might be able to put something behind the 'clicking' hook so that the hook doesn't withdraw from the cover.
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What can I do to stop my fiberglass bathtub from squeaking? I have a fiberglass bathtub in my mobile home that is roughly 5' x 4' in size. The mobile home is a 1978 doublewide, and the tub was in the home when we purchased it, 5 years ago, so I'm sure it's very old. There is a creaking in the tub that has gotten much worse over time. When you walk around in the tub, you can feel more give in some areas and the creaking is horrible. We do not have the money to replace the tub. I have a small access panel in the adjoining closet, and I took a picture (attached) that shows the underside of the tub. I liked the idea of spraying foam underneath the tub, but as you can see from the picture, it is very far off the ground and there are drain pipes that are under one part of the tub. Click photo for full size <Q> It's not a great picture, but it looks like the tub is supported by wood and foam. <S> You can spray foam under there wildly, if you want. <S> But if the structure that will support the foam (and tub) is compromised, it's not going to do you much good. <S> You're going to want to get better access, and evaluate the structure. <S> The answer may be as simple as adding a few extra braces, or as complex as ripping it all out and replacing it. <S> Without a better look, it's impossible to say for sure. <S> Since this is a mobile home, it's not likely this is a botched installation. <S> Instead it's likely due to age, wear and tear, and/or rot. <A> You can combine spray foam (to get the fit) with block foam (to take up most of the space) if you can get block foam in place from the access hole. <S> If you have to get at the pipes you're probably already in "rip the whole thing out" mode. <S> But you could try to clear those with rigid foam and only spray between the top of the rigid and the bottom of the tub. <S> Partially fill the tub with water when foaming, to weight it down a bit. <A> Most of these types of tubs sit in thinset. <S> If you put in Styrofoam, foam or anything like that it will degrade over time and your tub will be noisy and will flex on you. <S> I am really surprised you aren't having major flexing issues. <S> The tub doesn't need to be replaced, it just needs to sit on something more stab that will form to it - why thinset is used a lot.
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Or you can use lots of spray foam - but give each application of it time, as it can swell more than you think if you apply a large amount at once. It's possible that the wood has rotted, or the structure that supports the wood has rotted or been compromised in some way.
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Muting PC audio when doorbell rings So the setup is as follows.I've got one of those wireless doorbells in which the button is powered by a 9V battery and is stickied to the door and the sound comes from a speaker plugged in a wall socket nearby. ( I use that since I am a student and I change houses a lot) I also have a home stereo system that is quite loud. I have been missing people that ring me or mail deliveries and it's getting kind of frustrating. My idea is to use a wire of some sort to solder somewhere on the doorbell button, so I can detect the button press via a CP2102 UART USB Adapter I have left off from previous projects, and then send a command to the pc to mute the music playing. I also have a Raspberry Pi, but I am currently using it as a HTPC, so I wouldn't want to use it. I would be glad to any suggestions on how I could approach my task. <Q> I'm afraid that it's more of a hardware question, but I'm offering you a DIY answer :) <S> How about light instead of sound? <S> Install some simple fixture on the wall (or desk) where you are sitting (beside the PC?) <S> most often, put the red bulb (or whatever color you like and can make you notice easily). <S> The wiring shouldn't be hard to guess, but if you're not really into this, you could ask another question (or modify current question) to make it work. <S> Simple and easy. <S> And it will not force you to make any changes regarding USB ports and signal capture. <S> The weakness of this solution is that the light needs to be noticeable - in case you go to a toilet or something, you may lose that. <A> If you were playing your music on your Rasp <S> Pi HTPC you could use the io pins on the board to trigger the command <S> , that would be pretty slick. <S> (You don't have to make that the keyboard you actually use, you can generally eattach two USB keyboards at the same time without a problem.) <S> Of course you're probably going to have to unmute it yourself, but I think that would be tolerable. <S> I can think of a number of ways you could wire the doorbell as a switch on either the stereo audio or possibly the low voltage DC power to amplified speakers, but with a simple switch it would only cut out as long as the person presses the button - might not be long enough. <A> Don't mute it, broadcast it. <S> WARNING: <S> Plugging in things with random voltages into your sound card may damage your hardware. <S> The maximum acceptable line level for consumer sound products is about half a volt. <S> Only proceed here if the speaker leads on the chime test nominally in this range, when it rings. <S> Take the speaker output from the doorbell and solder on a 3.5mm female connector jack. <S> Take an 1/8" to 1/8" (3.5mm) cord and plug it into the 'in' on your computer . <S> Or simply splice-on a cut cord to the doorbell chime <S> (use a lighter to burn away the varnish insulation on the tiny wires after you remove their inner plastic insulation). <S> Test and adjust the input level accordingly. <S> You don't want to get blown away when someone rings the doorbell and you've got the stereo cranked up to 11. <S> Alternatively, stop cranking it up to 11.
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If you wanted to do it with an ugly hack instead, you could find a USB keyboard with a mute button, and hack the mute key so that pushing the doorbell button "presses" the mute key.
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Are there any things to consider when putting thick rubber underlayment down? I am finishing my attic and have just completed laying the OSB subfloor. I plan to use this space as a yoga studio for my wife / guest room for family / playroom for my child. It is directly over my bedroom so I want to make it as quiet as possible so I am planning to put a thick rubber underlayment before I put down a laminate floor. Are there any things to consider when putting the underlayment down? For example, a vapor barrier, an extra underlayment for the laminate flooring, whether it needs to be secured down? UPDATE: I ended up going with a much thinner underlayment which I installed first. I also purchased the laminate with an underlayment backing adhered to the underside of the laminate which seemed to be equal thickness of the extra underlayment I purchased. The result has been great. There is very very little sound transfer from the floor of the attic to rooms below. I have no practical experience to back this but I would be a little worried the thicker underlayment might make the floor too squishy. <Q> Insulate the new subfloor in the joists below to thwart any condensation issues first, as much R-value as you can get in there. <S> Other than that <S> no, the "underlayment approved laminate" can just sit on the underlayment & you might be able to double or triple the planned underlayment, depending on the laminate manufacturer. <A> You could use Cork as a deadening agent or finished product, use it as a deadening agent and it would prevent any off gas issues. <S> As Iggy said, you would want to insulate the joist bay's, however I don't think you want to pack them tight. <S> If you pack a bay tight with insulation the sound waves use it as a vehicle and transmit each wave easier, a loose pack with 2"-3" void on top allows the waves to travel then hit a stop much like offset common walls in a condominium. <S> This is also a good time for another look at your bedroom- pipe in for speakers, additional ceiling fan, cans etc. <A> For sound insulation, there are multiple layers where you can tackle the issue, and the more you do, <S> the better the result: <S> Insulation between the joist bays. <S> No vapor barrier needed since this is for sound, not thermal. <S> This is going to eliminate the high pitched sounds like voices, more than the low thumping of walking that will transmit directly through the joists. <S> The underlayment, I've used homasote in the past, but your rubber product will likely do that job better. <S> I personally wouldn't spend the money here if you're installing carpeting. <S> Finished flooring, carpeting that you can do from above is going to be best, and with a thick carpet pad, you don't really need the additional underlayment. <S> Sound attenuation channel, aka resilient channel, is probably second to the carpeting, but you'd need to remove the drywall ceiling in the bedroom below, or build a second lower ceiling, to install it. <S> This works by separating the drywall from the joists which are going to transmit the low vibrations (walking, or kids jumping).
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However, Carpet on top of carpet Padding would really be the overall best sound deadening solution & your underlayment doesn't care whether it's penetrated with fasteners. Any kind of hard surface like wood or tile would be the worst option, but is where you'd see some benefit from the underlayment.
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How to get water to hop from patio over brick wall? I have a concrete patio elevated a few feet above the lawn. The patio is bordered by a brick wall (on 3 sides, with the house on the 4th) that extends higher than the top of the concrete of the patio by about an inch. Currently, the original owner's caulk has deteriorated, so rainwater flows down between the concrete and the brick, seeping through the bricks to weaken the wall and cause mildew. In addition, the water pools and flows between the patio and the house, leading to moisture in my crawl space. If I repair the caulk, I will have a 1-inch deep swimming pool, and the water has to go somewhere eventually. How can I get this patio to drain to the lawn? Ideas are appreciated! <Q> I would take a 4-1/2" angle grinder with a diamond wheel and cut out the mortar between the bricks down level with the patio surface, at like 5-10 brick intervals, creating a path for the water to flow out. <S> Then re-caulk <S> the joint tapering the caulk at each "drain". <A> It can't go over without a pump of some sort (even a siphon needs energy input to start it), so if you want a passive solution it has to go through, by installing some sort of drainage pipe through that wall. <S> Maybe more than one. <S> Yes, this may require disassembling and reassembling the top few courses of the wall, unless you want to try drilling through a mortar line. <S> I'd make sure this was lined with a nice strong pipe, to guard against ice expansion hazard. <S> Think of it this way <S> : you have a perfect opportunity to install a functioning gargoyle! <S> The better answer would involve a drainage system across the whole field, feeding out thru a pipe. <S> The grading might want to be adjusted to help that flow properly. <A> Raise the patio surface above the brick, or lower the brick below the patio surface. <S> If you install any type of drain system. <S> You'll have to either slope the surface towards the drains, or install a continuous drain. <S> Otherwise you'll have puddles. <A> You would have to make sure the grade allows such an outflow.
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You could consider outdoor tile/outdoor-rated mortar, aiming for a total thickness (including the thickness of any decoupling underlayment like Wedi board or Schluter DITRA or EasyMat or RedGard) that would bring the tile surface up high enough so the water could flow off of it out toward the perimiter between the bricks.
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Why would the condensing unit fan shut off but not the compressor? We have an allegiance 12 unit circa 2001, model 7a2024a100a3, the fan starts up and runs for about 5 minutes then shuts off, the compressor is still on and seems to build up a bit the "flush" or so it sounds, then build up again. I can turn the fan blades manually. When the fan stops we get warm air in house, when it runs it is cold. Any help is appreciated <Q> It fires up fine and then cycles through the fan working and not working [while the compressor is still on]. <S> You need a new fan motor (save the blades from the old one). <S> I don't bother with testing capacitors. <S> Both fan and cap get swapped out on a 14yo unit. <S> If it can start and run for a while, I highly doubt it's the cap, but you should replace that $5 item regardless. <S> The bearings on the motor may be fine but that doesn't mean the windings are ok (failed windings will lead to thermal overload even though it 'works'). <S> Most integral overload sensors reset themselves. <S> That's why it comes and goes every five minutes. <A> This could be normal operation. <S> Now and then the unit will reverse cycle to defrost; manufacturers use different means to achieve this. <S> Quirky or unusual setups should be mentioned in paperwork. <S> Look up troubleshooting. <A> I have a 1993 York 3 ton unit, I replaced a fan motor in outside unit this spring. <S> But last night I noticed it stopped blowing and compressor was still running. <S> Then it kicked back on in a minute or so. <S> After reasearching documents, it appears that original was a 2 speed 850rpm and <S> 525rpm which switches at 70deg. <S> Outside temperature had dropped with a cool front. <S> So when it switched there was nothing connected to the low speed side. <S> One problem with "replacement parts ". <A> I had a similar problem, fan ran for either 15 seconds, 2 hrs or a day or so <S> but each time it would seem to die but yet the fan looked like it was very controlled, not binding, no bad noises,really confusing. <S> Turned out the fan motor has its own capacitor built in as well as a heat sensor. <S> Either can shut down the fan motor. <S> Unless you can find those parts and are very handy,just change the motor and get back to getting cooled off.
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If it's NOT the capacitor, then the fan motor is kicking out on over heat via its integral thermal overload.
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Hooking up switches only with white wires. Will it work? I'm working on a small cabin. All black wires are run directly to lights. The white wires are run to the switches then lights... so each switch has only white wires. Would the circuit still work? Why or why not? It's the exact opposite of the black white being routed to the switch. ALL lights and switches are wired this way in the cabin. ALL walls are covered so getting to wiring will require ripped out walls. If it's unsafe, couldn't we just hook up to power in the reverse order (so white is hot)? Would that work? Why or why not? <Q> If the black wire is the grounded (neutral) conductor, then it's a possible code violation but safe. <S> If the black wire is the ungrounded (hot) conductor, then you're switching the grounded (neutral) conductor. <S> This is a code violation, and is not safe. <S> Touching the wrong part could deliver a fatal shock, despite the position of the switch. <S> If the white wire is the ungrounded (hot) conductor, then the circuit is wired in a "safe" manner. <S> However, it's a possible code violation, depending on what code you follow. <S> And could be confusing for anybody working on the wiring, which could lead to a potentially dangerous situation. <S> Always use caution when working with wiring, especially live wiring. <S> Set the meter to measure voltage. <S> Touch one probe to the ground wire or terminal, and the other to an exposed portion of the black wire or a terminal where the black wire terminates. <S> Note the reading. <S> Touch one probe to the ground wire or terminal, and the other to an exposed portion of the white wire or a terminal where the white wire terminates. <S> Note the reading. <S> If you measured 120 volts (or whatever line voltage is) between the black and ground wires, then the black wire is the ungrounded (hot) conductor. <S> If you measured 120 volts (or whatever line voltage is) between the white wire and ground, then the white wire is the ungrounded (hot) conductor. <A> Whoever wired your cabin was an idiot -- this quite unsafe <S> (it's a great way to find yourself doing the 60 cycle shuffle mid-lightbulb-change) is a clear NEC 404.2(B) violation: <S> (B) <S> Grounded Conductors. <S> Switches or circuit breakers shall not disconnect the grounded conductor of a circuit. <S> (The exception is for dual-pole switches that switch hot and neutral at the same time, so it doesn't apply to your case.) <S> The "hot on white" case I'd be willing to accept in one or two cases, but for a house to be uniformly wired against Code like this would be rather, well, bizarre. <S> A spot check of wiring to verify that white is indeed neutral (simply measure voltage between the white and bare wires) <S> would be in order, though, yes. <S> Fixing this requires swapping the black and white wires both at the panel and the lights/outlets. <A> If your sure you have no power at the switch, then whom ever did the electrical is switching the neutral and that was at one time (A LONG TIME AGO) <S> okay <S> but not anymore. <S> The switching neutral <S> it is not safe, even with the light switch off <S> you still have power going to the light fixture and or socket, so when it comes time to change it you will need to find out which breaker it is on and turn it off. <S> I have ran in to this about 3 times in my career and it only took the first time to know that it was not a safe thing to do. <S> If you're going to leave it this way I would put a label on each switch to remind you of this.
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If the black wire in this situation is the ungrounded (hot) conductor, then it's a possible code violation and unsafe. In this situation, the fixture will always be energized. To determine what's going on, you'll have to take some measurements with a multimeter or voltmeter with the power on. The BEST thing to do is to fix it and bring it up to code.
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What to do about the cracks on my wood floor? I am trying to do some repairs of the floor. As you can see on photos, there are some cracks, dents, and gouges. I am thinking of getting wood filler for these, but I am not sure which one would be best for these types. In addition, I also need to make sure it will not stand out when done. So, I need to find a way around it to match to the rest of the floor. I was thinking of using paint, but I don't know which color and, plus, I tend to be very clumsy in these things. Any ideas? :) <Q> First, this doesn't look like like solid wood flooring. <S> Mostly likely, since there are 3 boards to a plank, this is a laminate floor. <S> Second, the finish, in general, is in really bad shape. <S> Any type of spot refinishing is just going to stick out, maybe as bad as the damage you are trying to cover. <S> The dark areas is primarily dirt, but using any type of harsh cleaner to get it out and then reseal is also out of the question. <S> The cleaners will mostly destroy what is left of the finish and the wood look. <S> If this damage is localized, lets say the entry way, you can always use an area rug to cover. <S> This <S> I feel is your best option. <A> it may sound crazy but if never done before, take pic , pull it up & flip boards. <S> choose any color you like, lightly sand, stain, put wood back ( remember to stager boards & keep same gap as original ) lightly sand ( i prefer fine steel wool. ) <S> mysel, a friend works in graphics industry, designed & produced .a <S> large HARLEY DAVIDSON BAR &.CROSS <S> SHIELD which i placed on floor ) &2coats of clear polyurithane ( steel wool between coats) & that floor will take anything you throw at it. <A> My dad & I installed Hardwood while I was a teenager. <S> We worked with another guy to finish it. <S> He would get a putty and go over the whole floor with it. <S> I would say with those gouges you can try to sand out the dark outlines and fill with some putty. <S> Their odd shape and form will make them stand out a bit <S> but it's better than paint. <S> If you get a putty to match your end coat (clear finish with poly or something like that) <S> then I think you'll be okay. <S> Clear coats are a little easier to match I think. <S> Also the Woodworkers Stack Exchange would have a wealth of ideas on this but not sure about cross posting.
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Since this floor is most likely laminate, the typical means of refinishing a floor (sand and refinish) is out the question. At best, this is an engineering wood flooring (plywood).
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Removing lower section of an old chimney? I know that removing an old unused chimney from a house is done from the top down. I'm just wondering if it's even thinkable to remove a mid-section from the chimney, while reinforcing under the first removed layer of bricks taken out (would be at the ceiling of the "top floor" on the diagram) (as it's being taken down) to support the top part of the chimney, around 10 feet of it. The chimney is not structurally tied to the house. Is this something that's ever done or am I crazy? <Q> Have you the faintest clue what 10 feet of chimney weighs? "reinforce here" to WHAT exactly, that's going to hold up 10 feet of bricks? <S> Take it down from the top, or hire somone else to take it down from the top, or far enough from the top that you feel comfortable working on it. <S> Don't kill yourself, or someone else in your house, or do massive expensive damage to your house even if you somehow manage not to kill anyone. <S> Houses of a certain vintage sometimes have "stub chimneys" that start in the attic, with stovepipes below, but they were structurally supported from below before they were built. <A> The best support for that 10 foot tall, 2 ton (4,000 pound) column of bricks would be a column of bricks underneath it all the way down to the foundation. <S> Wait, you already have one of those... ;-) <A> It is 'thinkable' in my opinion, BUT! ... <S> There are (among others, already pointed out) reasons to not to do so. <S> Let me bullet this: brick weights a lot - try to compute it <S> (well, I know that You cannotcompute <S> ;) <S> but at least, try to do so) <S> , so it needs a good, solid support - that makes another issues: computing the support (civil engineer involved, codes and permissions involved) placing the support (on some walls? <S> if walls structure is wood frame - forget about it, if masonry, it needs to lay these forces to walls (if nearby)(again - involves - see point 1.) <S> it costs a lot - doing something like that is not DIY job, there are some ways to place support, but these are most often done in old, monumental buildings, and that raise costs a lot <S> the stiffness is not guaranteed - the way brickwork works (well, that sounds funny!) <S> is different than other structures do, especially if freshly-installed; not recommended no guarantee to not to harm anyone and anything - this is the outcome of all of these above <S> If I were You, I wouldn't bother. <S> Comment by Aloysius Defenestrate makes some sense, but I would hesistate to do so in case of strong winds. <A> You might be able to support the 10' with a thick steel plate tied into the roof frame attached to the main support beams of the house. <S> The problem is keeping it in place while you remove the bottom structure and get the new support in place with out it collapsing. <S> good luck <A> Safety is a concern but truthfully, I did it! <S> 3- 2X6’s on the floor of the 2nd level. <S> Took out everything below with a sledge. <S> NEVER AGAIN! <S> These guys are correct. <S> Brick is very heavy, dirty and an ass ache. <S> Some things are best paid for. <S> After a year or so, I wet back to the roof and took it down, brick by brick, pass the roofline. <S> Sealed the roof and another 8-10 months took the rest down and out. <S> I saved a boat load of money but would pay to have it done. <S> Up and down the ladder/stairs with a few bricks for weeks just wasn’t worth the saving. <S> Let it be known..... <S> it was removed for a kitchen remodel.
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This is a bad, terrible unthinkable idea. The safest way would be to remove the whole upper part and repair the attic and roof.
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Used circle cutter in wrong place in drywall, best repair method? I'm mounting a TV and used a circle cutter attachment on my drill in the wrong location. I cut through 2 1/2" sheets of drywall and still have the discs of drywall. What is the best method to repair the hole? The bracket will be covering the hole anyways so I am not sure it is necessary to repair but it maybe nicer if I ever move out etc. <Q> Cut some short strips of plywood or even paneling (long enough to overlap both sides of the hole by a couple of inches). <S> Don't cut your fingers off. <S> Put the plywood strip(s) in the hole and position the strip so it is extending out beyond both edges of the hole, behind the sheetrock. <S> Hold the strip tightly by pulling outward on the back of strip with your fingers, and drive screws through the sheetrock and through the plywood strips. <S> Now, put the sheetrock cut-out back in place, and screw it to the plywood strip(s). <S> Patch the sheetrock. <A> If the hole is fairly small (say <4" diameter), then you can likely get away with just covering the hole with fiber mesh tape and using a hard setting compound (e.g. Sheetrock 90) to fill the hole. <S> For larger holes Craig has the "best" method, but I've used this method successfully for holes in plaster and drywall up to 3.5" diameter. <A> Drywall patches are available at most home improvement stores. <S> I've personally never used one, so <S> I can't say how well they work (if at all). <S> Though for the couple of dollars they cost, it might be worth a try. <S> Wal-Board Tools 4" x 4" <S> Drywall Repair Patch <S> (source: homedepot.com ) <S> Again, I've never used this or any other similar product. <S> I do not endorse or recommend the use of this specific product.
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There are self adhesive patches like this one available at most home improvement stores.
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filling holes in bathroom tile When you walk in our bathroom on the tiles with high heels, it puts a hole in the tile. It seems likely the tiles were not meant to be for floor. Regardless, we'd like to find some way to fill in the holes with either plaster or something otherwise. What would be best to use? <Q> Leaving this as an answer with trepidation and the hope that a real tile expert will chime in. <S> My guess is that they're limestone or travertine. <S> If you have spares, grind/smash <S> /pulverize them to dust, mix that with a 2 part epoxy and fill 'er up. <S> (Same for the broken chips at the door -- glue them solidly down with granite-safe adhesive and fill the cracks after the glue cures.) <S> I don't have personal experience with this product, so not a recommendation (hopefully, someone else will chime in), but I'd be willing to try "Tenax Travertine Filler" (available on amazon). <S> Hope <S> this helps. <A> If properly installed, this tile should never break under normal use. <S> This is a defect in workmanship. <S> The installer did not put down enough thinset under the tiles which caused them to have large voids under them. <S> You can see the void in your pictures, and it is especially visible in the last photo. <S> You will most likely continue to have issues with the tiles cracking or breaking. <A> As per my opinion You should replace the bathroom tile all together is the best thing to do. <S> If this is not possible for financial or aesthetic reasons, injecting an epoxy glue solution underneath the tile to re-bond it to the sub floor is the only other option. <A> If I'm seeing this correctly it looks like the tile was put down on top of carpet. <S> If that's the case, than that's the problem. <S> There isn't a solid base and when you step on the floor your heels or sharp edges go right through it. <S> Also, these may be the inexpensive tile floor pieces that they sell at Lowes or Home Depot. <S> They cost about $1.00 each and look like real tiles but are some form of plastic.
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At this point there is not much you can do beyond replacing the entire floor.
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How to prevent heavy rainwater from jumping the gutter? During heavy rain, the water collects from my second floor roof and runs onto the first floor roof as it should. The problem is that since all this water is now concentrated from the second floor downspout, the heavy volume causes it to race down the first floor roof and "jump over" the gutter. Is there any way to prevent this from happening and to what extent is this a normal, unavoidable result of the heavy rainfall? I've looked at "gusher guards" but was warned that these might cause damage to the gutters once Winter hits from the snow and ice pulling at them. I'm in Michigan, so lots of snow and ice. I've also considered adding an extension to the second floor downspout so the water is dumped directly where it should be, but I'm afraid it'll stick out like a sore thumb and look janky. Any suggestions? Is there a "standard" way of dealing with this situation? <Q> This is a common mistake, which will lead to premature roof wear. <S> What the installer should have done, was to install an A to B transition elbow, and continued down the roof with a section of down spout. <S> Then used an A elbow to have the water dump directly into the lower gutter. <S> It should end up similar to this Allowing the high volume of water to flow over the roof, will damage the shingles and cause them to wear prematurely. <S> Even if you turn the spout adjacent to the slope, it will still cause damage to the roofing. <S> Spreading the flow over the roof in this way, will not alleviate the damage that is caused. <S> In either case, you're allowing all the water shed from the upper roof, to flow over a small section of the lower roof. <S> It's a terrible idea, and should be avoided. <S> I'm not sure exactly when builders decided to try and save the $10, by not installing the downspout along the roof. <S> But it makes me so sick every time I see it <S> , I just want to climb up there and fix it myself. <A> This is caused by: <S> poor roof design poor gutter installation <S> Since it's not cheap to fix the roof, the solution is to fix the gutters. <S> You simply need larger and/or repositioned gutters. <S> The catch is if you also have heavy snow loads. <S> In that case, you also need strong, well-installed gutters. <S> :) <S> In this case, since it's really only one spot, I'd probably suggest having the second floor downspout connect to a downspout that runs along the first floor roof, out past the gutter and then down <S> it's own downspout. <S> So you'd take the entire load of the second floor water directly to the ground instead of trying to dump it into the first floor gutter. <A> Could you turn the end of the downspout 45-90 degrees so the water exits across the roof slope, rather than down it? <S> This would help distribute the downspout flow across more roof area. <S> Not sure if that's a standard approach, but it seems quick and easy to try, and easy to undo if it doesn't work <A> Were it me, I'd consider a 'janky' looking roof much better than premature shingle failure due to overload. <A> I had a similar problem caused by the lower gutter being overhung by the roof too much. <S> There was only actually about 1/3 of the gutter 'visible' for rain from the roof to fall into. <S> It was resolved by repositioning the guttering. <S> (In our case that was relatively trivial as the guttering was mounted on extendible brackets fitted to the rafter feet). <A> I don't have enough rep to comment, so in the form of an answer: I fully agree with Tester101. <S> You need to protect the lower roof from a large flow of water in a narrow space and incorporate the elbow at the end to bring it into the gutter. <S> I have a copper tile roof and did something similar to protect it. <S> The differences in my approach were: I used an open channel PVC length (like a length of PVC gutter - may have been something else originally) instead of a length of downspout on the roof itself. <S> This avoided contact of alumninum gutter with copper roof that could lead to electrolytic corrosion and a disappearing roof. <S> It also avoided, or greatly reduced, the risk of a blockage in the section on the roof due to either dirt and leaves or to ice. <A> I have taken these or these to alleviate a similar problem. <S> You would just be tweaking your gutter on your own. <S> You can push up on the gutter and put the screw or bracket in. <S> The hope is that you would be able to do this enough so that the angle of the roof points straight into the wall of the gutter rather than over it. <S> Though my first go would be a 90 degree elbow so that the water spreads out over the roof more. <S> It's standard on new construction around me. <S> It seems to work okay. <A> The easiest thing would be to get a piece of L metal maybe a foot or 2 long and tuck it up under your lowest shingle. <S> Use a little mastic to keep it in place. <S> When the water hits the L metal sticking up it will go right or left gently into the gutter. <S> If you don’t like the look of that you could raise the gutter up and possibly get the next size larger gutters. <S> I have actually ripped an inch or so off the back of gutters <S> so I could get them up a little higher particularly on steep pitched roofs <A> If yours is "U" type gutter fix "Ç" type gutter so that upper part will prevent water from overflowing when there is heavy rain. <S> See the "Ç" type gutter is little bigger than the "U" type gutter. <A> specific length of gutter=specific number/diameter of down spout. <S> Do Not join together (their flow). <S> Continue down spout to ground w/o adding to 1st fl's gutter or dwn spout. <S> Both must B carried away frm foundation to avoid bulk water penetration into bldg. <S> I see no consideration of either of these bldg science basics in these answ. <S> Color, material, placement etc can B used to 'hide' the additional 'ugly' downspout (incl. <S> doubling the existing terminal spout diameter if joined).
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Run a section of downspout across your roof and dump it into the existing gutter, angled in the direction of flow, so that the water doesn't splash into the gutter at a 90 degree angle, but joins water already headed for the downspout.
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How can I remove residue left from peel and stick tiles? I have old peel and stick vinyl tiles coming up off my vinyl flooring. I want to keep the floor underneath. What gets rid of glue residue but is safe to use in house? <Q> The approach is usually progressive. <S> You try a less aggressive cleaner to see if it works, and if not, then move on to a more aggressive. <S> At some point, you may find that the cleaner damages the surface, so test in an inconspicuous area. <A> I have found an easy way if you are going to recover the floor with some other type of floor covering first <S> i heat an iron and soften tile by laying iron over cloth so tile lifts easily <S> then i sprinkle the floor with fine sawdust and rub in <S> i leave the sawdust fir 15 minutes while lifting more tiles then brush off excess when completed the area i wish to work on i leave for half hour brush off again then vacuum and you are left with a clean floor with only very fine trace of sawdust <A> I pried up old peal and stick tile using heat gun, leaving very sticky glue residue, tried cleaning with hot water, mineral spirits and finally acetone. <S> None worked. <S> So finally I pealed off one tile and just sprinkled corn starch onto residue, making it no longer tacky at all. <S> Not going to scrape anything as I plan on going over top of the concrete floor with floating click together vinyl. <A> If you are leaving the tiles in place: peanut butter and a little rubbing. <S> The only problem is it will remove the deep shine, in that area. <S> Just give the flooring a little Mop & Glow.. <A> I removed the tiles, sprayed linoleum with Goo Gone,wiped up Goo Gone. <S> Lineoleum is clean. <S> Quick and easy. <A> You can try applying apple cider vinegar to it and let it sit. <S> Of that doesn't work get yourself some goof off. <S> That should do the trick. <A> I had a sticky floor issue after removing self stick 12x12 tiles. <S> I took some advice and tried baking soda and it worked beautifully.
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I would use paper towels and a mild scrubbing pad, and I would use cleaners in the following order: a soap based cleaner, such as Murphy's Oil Soap strong household cleaner with grease cutter, such as Formula 409 a residue remover, such as Goo-Gone a mild solvent, such as denatured alcohol a stronger solvent, such as mineral spirits a mild stripper, such as a citrus based product a very strong solvent, such as acetone or lacquer thinner (but at this point you are almost sure to damage the surface of the flooring finish).
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Can the fan be rewired so the fan works off the pull chain and the lights work off the switch? I have an existing ceiling fan in a hallway on a 3 way switch. When I turn on the switch both the fan and the lights will come on. Can the fan be rewired so the fan works off the pull chain and the lights work off the switch without having to run a new "hot" wire? <Q> The only way to know for sure, is to pull the fixture down and have a look at the wiring. <S> If power comes from the panel to the fixture first, then this is trivial. <S> If power goes to one of the switches first, then you're likely out of luck. <S> If you are lucky, and the power does go to the fixture first. <S> Simply connect the black wire from the fan, directly to the ungrounded (hot) supply conductor. <S> Leave the blue wire from the fan connected how it is. <S> As BrownRedHawk mentioned in a comment, installing a remote might suit your needs. <A> Yes, you can <S> but you need to run an extra wire if you don't already have one. <S> You basically want to connect an uninterrupted hot to the fan motor. <S> Generally your fan will have 3+ wires + ground. <S> 1 neutral, 1 ground, 1 fan hot, 1 light hot. <S> Your fan hot will have to go to a hot (either interrupted with a switch or directly wired, but then you'll need to turn off the breaker if you ever want to turn the thing off (eg. <S> if your pull chain switch breaks)). <S> Another alternative, if you don't want to run an extra wire and extra switch(es) is go with a remote control like the Insteon system. <A> Note that the wall switch is switching the whole fixture, so if you change the wiring as you suggest you won't be able to run the fan without turning on the light rather than vice versa. <S> Most modern ceiling fans already have two pull-chains, one for light and one for fan speed (hi, med, lo, off). <S> I take it yours doesn't. <S> Might be easier to replace than modify; if it's that old a new one might save power too. <S> Modern ceiling fans are also set up with independent power wires for fan and light so they can be controlled by a remote or by two wall switches. <S> If yours ismisxing the second pull chain I suspect you might have to modify it for that too... or replace it. <A> Now take the blue light wire and connect it to the other switch wire. <S> Connect the 2 neutral (white) wires together and then connect the grounds together. <S> The Fan will now always have power and will only operate using the chain and your light will work using your wall switch, meaning if you have your fan running you can turn your light off (wall switch) and it will not effect your fan. <S> These directions are actually laid out for you in the installation instructions on most new ceiling fans. <S> I hope this helps anyone who was wondering.
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Its really simple if your power is run to the fixture, connect the hot wire to the black fan wire along with one of your switch wires. Though you may want a remote at each switch location, which complicates the installation a bit.
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What is the purpose of horizontal blocks on a bearing wall? In my basement, the bearing wall has horizontal blocks between each stud, similar to what you see in this picture: . There is one place on the wall where one of the blocks was removed to place an electrical box, and another in the bathroom rough-in to make space for the vent stack. What is the purpose of these pieces, and am I safe to remove one to place another electrical box? <Q> Typically blocking is installed to prevent framing members from twisting or warping, and to stiffen and add strength to the wall. <S> Though it's also common to install blocking, where fire stops are required by code. <S> Blocking can also provide an attachment point for cabinets, chair rail, counter tops, etc. <S> In walls where the studs are spaced further apart, blocking can provide support to the edge of the drywall between studs. <S> But again, this is all speculation without knowing more details about your situation. <A> The blocks are known as Dwangs or Nogs here, and was confused about what blocks you were asking about. <S> But they are used for stiffening the wall and attaching drywall, as well as mounting points for basins etc. <S> Not heard of them being used for firestopping, and does not make a lot of sense to me. <S> Recommendation from BRANZ (local building regulation association) is a nog <S> every 800mm of stud - i.e. at least one per story. <S> When one was removed to fit a power board into an internal wall I was working on, the builder fitted one below and above the panel to maintain strength. <S> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwang <A> Typical of firestopping, so that (when sheeted with drywall) flames cannot run the full height of the wall inside the stud bay. <S> It would be better to move (up or down a few inches), rather than remove the blocking, for that reason. <S> While it may be unfinished at present, the builders presumably intended that it be ready for drywall if/when you or some other owner chose to finish the basement. <S> Of course, it would also be better to have the electrical planned out so that the framing can be built to accommodate it in the first place, but the world isn't perfect. <A> According to our building code:(5) <S> Where load-bearing interior walls are not finished in accordance with Sentence (2), blocking or strapping <S> shall be fastened to the studs at mid-height to prevent sideways buckling. <A> Nogging in the UK. <S> These do the same job as herringbone bracing in between floor joists i.e. they stiffen up the wall and also stop the studs twisting (in theory). <S> They are commonly placed as in the picture but also either side of the marked line. <S> Staggering then thus makes for easier nailing (straight instead of skewed). <S> If I remove a nogging I'd try to replace it above and below. <S> Sometimes we turn one through 90 degrees to fit a outlet box, but that's not the best practice. <S> and I also add one at counter or worktop height. <S> Special furniture can also benefit from additional nogging such as toilets/basins/anything else that needs hanging from the wall! <S> On better quality jobs I put two additional runs through (dividing the height into 1/4's). <S> Never heard the fire blocking part, must be peculiar to the region. <S> Fireproofing in the Uk typically goes in between floors and around penetrations etc. <S> One would imagine that if the fire has reached the middle of the wall then that floor is in serious trouble anyways. <A> Fireblocking is required at 10’ intervals. <S> (See ICC R302.11) <S> It could be: 1) <S> shearwall blocking or 2) <S> vertical load blocking. <S> 1) <S> However, I doubt that too, because they don’t have the proper floor anchors in the slab to transfer that much load. <S> 2) <S> When applying large vertical loads, the member (post or stud) tends to buckle...especially in the “skinny” direction. <S> One way of keeping the member from bending is to install blocking...thus reducing the apparent length of the member (post or stud). <S> Another method of keeping the studs from buckling is to install a wall finish. <S> This works for low to medium loads, but not for high or extreme loads. <S> Perhaps no wall finish is currently scheduled so blocking is required.
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Makes sense to do the same here, as any twisting or buckling of the studs would cause the drywall to crack. I doubt the blocking is fireblocking. Still, I'd put new blocks in place above or below the outlets that caused them to be removed, and fire-caulk any holes required in the blocks for wires to run through. Because the block is placed EXACTLY in a straight line, they could have laid it out for plywood to lap half-way onto the blocking. Can't say for sure why they did it in your situation, without knowing a bit more details. Additional runs of noggins are a good idea at the top of cabinet heights in kitchens/bathrooms
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How to wire a three phase machine to a single phase plug? The machine has five wires, three of which are live. I want to wire into a single phase supply using a three prong plug. It powers a boiler and water pump (for an espresso machine: 220-240V, 50/60Hz, 0.190Mpa/0.65Mpa, 3000W). The advice I received was to twist the three live wires together and wire them all to the one live prong. The problem I have is that the the three together is to thick. Is there a way to do this? Solution: what I found was a connector (not sure what it's called) big enough to take the three wires together with a single wire coming out the other side. Someone else suggested 'wrapping' two of the wires around the third. <Q> You can't just fix this with wiring. <S> You either need to get 3 phase supplied to your location and wired to the device, or you need a phase converter, such as what these guys sell: http://www.northamericaphaseconverters.com <S> A possible alternative might be to use a VFD, such as this one: http://www.automationdirect.com/adc/Shopping/Catalog/Drives/GS2_%28115_-z- 230 -z- 460 <S> -z-_575_VAC_V <S> -z-Hz_Control%29/GS2_Drive_Units_%28115_-z- 230 -z- 460 -z-_575_VAC%29 <S> /GS2-11P0 <S> In either case, I would seek advice from the device manufacture's tech lines to confirm it's suitable for your application. <S> These devices are generally expected to be connected to a motor, and you have a heater <S> - that is an electrically significant difference. <S> Also note that I doubt the 3 phase is just powering the boiler. <S> I don't know coffee, really, but I thought high-end espresso machines were pump <S> driven - the pump will be 3 phase too I suspect. <A> <A> Having recently purchased and rewired from three phase to single phase on a Wega Pegaso coffee machine . <S> This is what I found and did successfully. <S> The 3 phase has 3 individual lives all acting independently, by joining these together they act as one. <S> One supplies the power the other 2 cancel each other out. <S> I have a 2 group machine, with a 3.7kw boiler, stating 400 volts <S> (three phase).I have had no problems making 4 coffees at a time and all pressure etc are perfect. <S> Hope this helps as it took me nearly a day of searching before I finally was confident to tackle the wiring.
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Firstly most commercial coffee machines are mono-phase, and can be wired 3 or single phase. You should not risk wiring to a 13amp plug but install a dedicated 20amp supply from your mainboard to a new socket near your machine. Lacking a model number to look up, I would try opening the device near the power cord and see if there is a jumper assembly or instructions for converting to other voltages and phase supplies.
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How many CAT6 cables can fit in 3/4 conduit? I was planning to get 3/4" conduit (Carlon ENT/Smurftube) to run network cables through the house. Just how many CAT6 cables can safely fit into 3/4" conduit? <Q> This depends on whether you are using pre-assembled cables or not. <S> The following images were made using The Engineering Toolbox's Smaller Circle in Larger Circle Tool to find the optimal packing. <S> If using bare cable (No Connectors) Using a 6.5mm (0.256) <S> Diameter cable, you can fit only 5 cables per conduit. <S> However, this assumes the cables are perfectly circular and non-deformable. <S> If you assume you can deform the cables, or you use a slightly smaller cable, you can fit up to 7 without destroying the cables. <S> If using pre-assembled cable <S> However, you will likely be using connectorized cables. <S> Assuming a 0.5"x0.5" connector head (I measured one I had laying around), you'd be lucky to fit 2. <S> Conclusion <S> If running connectorized cables, you can probably get away with 2, max. <S> Using the ratio of areas, we could theoretically fit ((.75 <S> ^2)/(.25^2)) <S> = 9 cables, but if we abide by the National Electrical Code's 40% rule , this translates to only 3.6 cables (more accurately, ((0.203)/(pi*.125^2))=4.1). <S> Therefore, if you go with bare cable, by code, you can only legally run 4 cables through the conduit . <S> (I'm not sure how the NEC calculates this 0.203 although their math allows up to 4 cables - my math would limit us to only 3 cables). <S> Although I do not endorse illegal activity, I would feel comfortable running up to 5 cables in that size conduit. <A> When it comes to data (Cat6) cable it in not so much about the number of wires you can fit in to the conduit, because the more you get in the conduit the more the speed of the information could degrade. <S> I have always put no more then 4 Cat6e in a 3/4in Conduit. <S> So pick the best cable for your job and then the correct size of conduit or run more then one 3/4in. <S> The following is from, http://www.datcominc.com/edit/files/catalogues/Mohawk%20Conduit%20Fill%20Guide.pdf <A> If you're following National Electrical Code, you'll need to know the actual size of the cable. <S> In the Notes to tables section of chapter 9, there are two important notes. <S> (5) <S> For conductors not included in Chapter 9, such as multiconductor cables,the actual dimensions shall be used. <S> (9) <S> A multiconductor cable, optical fiber cable, or flexible cord of two or more conductors shall be treated as a single conductor for calculating percentage conduit fill area... <S> So assuming you'll be pulling more than two cables, <S> according to Table 1 of chapter 9 you'll have to use the 40% fill column from the conduit fill tables. <S> You'll need to know the cross sectional area of the cable you're installing, and the type and size of conduit you want to use. <S> Then you'll look up the allowable fill for that size conduit, using the 40% fill column of the applicable table. <S> 3/4" Electrical Nonmetallic Tubing (ENT), has a 40% fill value of 0.203 in.². <S> Then you'll divide the value from the table, by the area of the cable (and drop the remainder). <S> This will tell you how many cables you can pull though that conduit. <S> Example <S> According to this document , the outside diameter of UTP Category 6 cable is 0.25 in. <S> 0.25 in. <S> / <S> 2 = 0.125 in. <S> A = <S> pi <S> * r² = <S> pi * 0.125² = 0.0490873852 in.² <S> 0.203 in.² / <S> 0.0490873852 in.² = <S> 4.1354820423 <S> So if you're pulling similar sized cable through 3/4" ENT, you'd be able to pull 4 cables through the conduit and be code compliant. <S> Though in reality, without lube and special cable pulling tools. <S> You'd probably only be able to pull 2 or 3, unless it's a short straight-ish pull. <A> For what it's worth, I recently ran 5 in 3/4" conduit and it was a tough pull. <S> However, it had a couple bends to work through. <S> I used foam lube and fish tape to help ease the friction. <S> I do worry about degrading the signal and may remove one. <S> I'd say 4 should be more than doable without concern of damaging wire. <A> You're allowed to overpack it to practical fill limits, but only if it's pure comms cables. <S> NO <S> PoE. <S> See NEC 820.110 and 830.110. <S> Your peril if you overfill <S> it is you'll have to pull so hard <S> you rend the cables, or they'll chafe and tear at burrs in the conduit. <S> But on datacomm cables, it doesn't create a safety problem. <S> As soon as you put any power in there, even low voltage, you're now dealing with power cables. <S> See Article 725.3(A). <S> And the NEC conduit fill rules apply, i.e. 40% for 3 or more cables (30% for 2 cables). <S> As always, you cannot put higher voltage power in any conduit with datacomm.
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However, if using bare cable, you can comfortably fit 5, but can potentially fit up to 7 without completely squishing the cables.
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How to make a Tall Retaining Wall Recently, as in September [Final close date was 11/13/2015] this year, I bought a house. This house is on an extreme incline. I would like to level out this incline. The front first floor of the house sits level with the ground. The property is 120' long and 40' wide. The rear of the property is ~23' below the front of the property. I want to build a wall at the edges while filling the inside until it is level to the front. I know I have to offset the walls, but what I want to know is with a max of 25' walls slowly turning into level, how much property will I loose. Basically, how much do I offset the walls. I plan to compact the earth as I go along and the project will take place over a few years to help settle the dirt. The final result should be a trapezoid from over head. In all honesty I considered asking this in Mathematics and Physics since I'm not sure this is reasonably doable. The bricks I'm using are mostly the red ones used to build houses I think 3-5/8" x 2-1/4" x 8". The dirt is fill dirt that I'll be collecting from other sites. I've done some very basic research, but most of it assumes the wall is a max of six feet. Edit: I agree with the answers and comments provided. I'm thinking about just building a large porch instead. My main concern regarding the hill is that once I clear the brush away, the hill would erode. Maybe I could use several small walls to make a sort of giant steps? Update: I did a survey of the area and found that it is kind of a giant hole. Like some huge machine cut the valley out. The walls on the other side are more sheer than my side. It also looks like there was a wall near the bottom of my side of the hill but it gave out maybe 10 years or more ago. The underbrush isn't exactly retaining soil either. I think even grass would be a step up. I'm going to start cleaning the area up after the next hard frost since mosquitoes are still around the area despite one frost. I need a hardy non-invasive plant that will spread out once planted to hold the soil. Edit2: (Wish I could add comments) If I could get the city to raise two sewer caps or even let me raise them, I could fill in the valley. I'd need about 20,000 cubic yards of dirt. I can get the dirt [shipping would be expensive], but the city won't even let me fix a side walk out front so, it's a no-go. <Q> Building 23' of retaining walls is not a small task. <S> This is a giant undertaking. <S> So be forewarned. <S> :) <S> As stormy noted, 4' is typically the height you can go without having to trigger an engineering sign-off. <S> Personally, if I was buying a house with 6 levels of 4' retaining walls, I'd want to see an engineers signature before making an offer. <S> That's a lot of land that's being held back. <S> As for how far you need to step back, the minimum is the height of the wall. <S> So a 4' high wall would need 4' of space between it and the next 4' wall. <S> More would be better. <A> I have very similar circumstances. <S> I had a pro come give an estimate. <S> 40k. <S> The height difference in my backyard is 18-20 ft. <S> He told me I would never make my money back and the best advice he could give me is basically pick a spot closest to the house and let's level it. <S> Basically 30 sq ft. <S> Then it was only 4ft retaining wall. <S> The pro would do it 3k ish. <S> Sounds like you should do step terracing. <S> Maybe 2-4 feet each level, but 2-4 ft from each other. <S> I'm thinking of decking the whole damn thing. <A> You've got a 20% slope which is not a tough incline to work. <S> I'd go with shorter walls if possible. <S> If you are good with math you should be able to do CUT=FILL. <S> Buy soil/compost to top. <S> Also, you need to be taking in consideration for neighboring properties without causing any abnormalities. <S> Send a plan with what you have, to include elevations and <S> I'll be able to give you much better ideas. <S> Hey, I taught 'Grading and Drainage'...very important stuff. <S> I could use some practice...grins.
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You need to focus on walls that are less than 4 feet in height. However, some areas may also have a total height requirement as well. Any higher will cost bucks to hire an engineer and get permitted. In my experience to not figure cut=fill means lots and lots more money and maintenance.
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How to fix this bathroom light? This is my bathroom's light, which is both a light and a bathroom fan. The light is much dimmer now, so I guess that one of the fluorescents (or lightbulbs) is out. The fan seems to be working well. I have never seen this kind of model (I'm a expatriate, and this is nothing like I have seen in the country where I was born). I don't know how to manipulate the lamp to open it and replace the light (I'm afraid of cracking it when forcing it open). I don't even know the name of this particular lamp in order to look for some online tutorial, description or hints. Any help abut how to manipulate the lamp open, how to replace the lights or even simply pointing to online resources about how to do it would be really helpful. Thanks! <Q> Reach up and tap the opaque lens cover. <S> If it seems like it's not integrated into the rest of the housing, then you should be able to move it out of the way. <A> Your best approach may be to think about how someone would have installed it in the first place. <S> There must be some way to get to a fastener or hooks or latches to get it off the ceiling. <S> Use a flashlight and a wide-blade screwdriver <S> to very gently see which portions of the cover (if any) flex away from the ceiling and which are tightly held to the ceiling. <S> That will tell you where and perhaps how it's held on. <A> Actually, all I had to do was to pull gently. <S> I was worried I would need to do something more complicated and I would crack it forcing it in a way it was not supposed to twist or open, but all I needed was to pull. <S> There were some wires that held the plastic lamp fixture to the ceiling, but I could separate it enough to get the lightbulbs. <S> I don't know what to do to replace the whole plastic part (and surely cleaning the inside <S> is going to be challenging like this) <S> but at least the lightbulbs can be reached this way.
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That cover may hinge, pry-off, or need a nudge in some direction to free it. If it looks like it's one piece, then try lightly tugging on the whole thing, see if there's a spring loaded catch or retaining spring.
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One portable air conditioner - want to use it in two rooms I have a Kenmore portable air conditioner model - 408.72012. this particular model can be housed on the outside of the building and the A/C air is vented into the inside space (normally through a window). Almost the opposite of what you normally do with a portable A/C unit. I have an office right next to my LR and want to pump the A/C into my LR sometimes and other times into my office. Because I did not have a window to have my A/C Air come into my office through a hole we cut and placed and fit a flexible dryer vent pipe (the white floppy accordion style)through the wall and on the inside of my office I have the dryer vent cover with flaps (like you would normally see on the outside. This prevents and critters from getting in. I am trying to figure out how to split the out flowing A/C air though a "dual Y pipe of some type to flow into my office when I want it in there and my LR when I want it in there. IS there any such thing as a U pipe that is not rigid that I could use for this and also some how block them when I want it to flow in only one side or the other? <Q> While this is rigid, it is better for connecting flex pipe. <A> First off, if you're using a cheap flexible vinyl tube like this. <S> You're probably losing most of your cool air, before it even reaches your house. <S> Instead, you'll want to use an insulated duct. <S> I'd recommend a rigid duct, but flexible duct is probably acceptable for this application. <S> Something like this flexible insulated duct is probably acceptable. <S> To split the air, you'll need a wye. <S> which if on the outside of the building, should also have to be insulated. <S> If you don't want to cool both rooms at the same time, you'll also want to install dampers. <S> You can get manual dampers, which would require you to open and close them via a lever on the outside of the duct. <S> If you really want to get fancy, you could install powered dampers, which would allow you to control them automatically via some type of control mechanism. <S> Powered dampers controlled by a raspberry pi/Arduino might be a neat little project. <S> While we're talking dampers. <S> While searching for photos for this answer, I stumbled upon a product that might work well for you. <S> It's called a dual duct kit , and includes a wye, 12.5' of insulated duct, and a supply grill. <A> Raid the parts bin for ducting for home shop dust collectors (vacuum cleaners optimized for sawdust). <S> Typically they are 4-6” diameter, snap together and/or have flexible sections, and are plumbed to several machines. <S> Each machine gets a guillotine style shut-off gate. <S> The gate can be controlled precisely. <S> They also make automatic gates which open when current is detected flowing on a circuit (intended for a machine tool spinning up, but also would work for a PC coming out of sleep mode). <S> You could use one auto-gate and one manual on the same branch, one for auto on-off and the other for fine control.
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You'll also probably want a backflow damper somewhere, so the air in your home doesn't get pushed outside when the unit is off.
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Can a regular rasp be used to enlarge a hole in concrete? I need to enlarge a few holes from 40mm to 50mm in a cinder block wall and in a concrete beam. Chiseling will do much damage and need patching, can I rasp it with a wood rasp? <Q> The metal on a wood rasp would be way to soft to make any type of dent in the concrete. <S> The only thing you will do is destroy the rasp. <S> You should use a roto hammer with the proper sized bit to widen the hole. <A> Yes, you can and it will work. <S> It will also dull your rasp. <A> You could use a heavy duty drill and a diamond encrusted bit , such as this one They can be found on-line and in some big box stores for about $20. <S> When grinding or cutting very hard materials like concrete, you should use a lubricant to reduce heat. <S> Usually a small constant drip of water at the cut point helps. <S> Images and links for illustration only, not an endorsement of goods or sources. <A> This is the correct tool for rasping concrete but it won't fit in a 2" hole. <S> I suppose you could ruin a file (and the better part of a day) to get it done; CMU's aren't that hard. <S> source <A> I'm adding my own answer since I tried to use the rasp. <S> It didn't work. <S> The method I use was a hammer drill with a chisel bit. <S> I hold the chisel against where I want the edge to be and pressed the trigger very slowly. <S> I did this so that it dig about 1 cm inside the concrete, then I move to the side and did that again making a contour. <S> After that I used more force to break inside the contour. <S> That way I could make a pretty good edge that requires minimum patching.
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The rasp can ease hard corners on cinder block and even a little bit on concrete, but it won't bite enough to enlarge a hole.
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Hot water issues in the apartment and plumbers are stumped? We have a unit upstairs in a 4-plex. The other units don't have any issues, but hot water recently stopped working in this apartment. Rarely water might get hot or warm but goes cold again. When the plumbers came and we played around with the fixtures we found out that the sink in the bathroom would get hot if the shower was on. When we turned off the shower/tub water the sink lost heat. I believe it was the same with the kitchen sink, but I could not figure out when or how to get the shower hot. The plumbers were also dumbfounded but one thought something was wrong with the shower cartridge so we replaced the entire faucet set including the rough in valve. I'm not sure how that would effect the other fixtures, but regardless it did not help. Also we noticed that the shower handle was installed backwards once again (part of the reason the plumber thought it was the cartridge) i.e. the valve is off when it is supposed to be hot and vice versa, but how could that be causing, or allowing the other fixtures to get hot water? Won't reversing the valve still mean that the other fixtures will still be dependent on that valve when they should be independent from it? We've already called several of the best plumbers around, and no one seems to know what's going on. The possible explanations make sense individually but not together. The water heater can't be broken because there CAN be hot water. If something is wrong with the way things were piped, why would the problem only occur now after so many years? The fact that the sink gets hot when the shower is on is what I think confuses most people. I will try playing around with the temperature limiters, but I assume it will not help, because again, why would one fixture affect the other ones? I hope someone can provide some sense or help us troubleshoot the problem. We've already spent quite a deal of time and money and our tenants are getting annoyed. Thanks! UPDATE We had changed the shower handle cartridge last year per a plumber's suggestion and it seemed to resolve the situation but apparently it didn't. Right now, for some strange reason, one fixture is still affecting what comes out of another fixture. For example, the sink will not dispense hot water until the shower hot water is turned on, and then the shower gets cold if the sink hot water is turned on. Like I said before, we had a few plumbers come already last year and they didn't seem to know what the issue was. It looks like some of you responded with some insightful tips that sound more plausible. Since the building is old, could this be pipe related (the hot water is also yellow looking)? Or does is it more likely to be capacity related (not enough hot water for everyone trying to use it), which doesn't quite seem plausible since there IS hot water, it's just that for some reason one fixture is impacting another. Or could it something with some sensor, valve, or just has to do with the design of the plumbing? The last one doesn't seem likely as the other units don't seem to have this problem, and it wasn't reported before by previous tenants. Last thing is that this and the unit below both report that the water takes a long time to get hot and that sometimes the water gets cold suddenly, and may have to wait for it to become hot again. <Q> Very odd, but here's a thought on how to troubleshoot. <S> Shut off water pressure into your water heater. <S> If any of them work, something is mixing cold water into your hot water pipes. <S> Some one-handle faucet and shower fixtures can do this if their internal seals are worn out. <S> Find it and fix it. <S> If they all only work when water pressure is supplied to your water heater, then the problem is likely the water heater itself. <S> Are the other units on the same piping? <S> If so, the mix may be caused by a recent change in their plumbing. <S> Maybe you can engage them in the troubleshooting. <A> I have been dealing with the exact same thing in a larger building for several years. <S> After 3 days, two different plumbers and a ton of money we finally figured out that all of our Moen shower valves had the wrong cartridge in them. <S> We were putting in 1220 the brass cartridge <S> and we really needed 1225 <S> the plastic one that is 1/8" longer. <S> Cold water was getting into that 1/8" gap and bleeding into the other apartments. <S> The further down the line, the colder it was for the next tenant. <A> Yeah, that's weird. <S> Thoughts: <S> Hot water heaters have hot and cooler ends, due to thermodynamics. <S> The hot water should be pulled from the hot end, but that might not be done right, either due to internal weirdness or connecting it backwards. <S> Maybe the hot water heater has multiple coils, and one burnt out? <S> I suggest measuring the temperature of the hot water output pipe. <S> That could at least rule out the pipes as a cause.
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Test each one of your hot water taps.
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How do I disconnect (and reconnect) the tubing from this fitting? The plastic tubing supplying filtered water to our refrigerator currently runs below a suspended ceiling. I want to reroute it above. How do I disconnect it without damage from either the union or tee, so I can reconnect once moved? The tee is labeled NSF-51 Parker Parflex size 4. The union has no discernible markings. I believe I would rather disconnect the union rather than the tee. I didn't want to just start tugging. I have found similar fittings for sale online, but no instructions for use. Here is the union: And here is the tee: <Q> Just to add some visuals to the others' explanations using your photo, you need to (1) push on the collar trying to move it parallel to the tube, and (2) pull the tube. <S> To reconnect, push the tube into the collar until it stops (should be about 1 inch). <S> Make sure the tube end is square (perpendicular to the tube axis, with no damage); cut a bit of the tube if necessary. <A> This is polypropylene, but the connectors are very similar to PEX quick-connect fittings. <S> You need to push the protruding collar (the inner tube that the polypropylene is secured into) back inside the connector, and you have to apply the pressure to that collar evenly. <S> You might be able to do that if you're gentle enough with a pair of pliers with the jaws on the wide setting, but you could damage the polypro tubing. <S> The picture below is an illustration of one type of aid. <S> You snap this over the tubing and press it firmly against the shoulder on the connector, and the tubing should pull out easily enough. <A> This is what I call a "push to connect" fitting. <S> They are put together by pushing the tube into the fitting. <S> They are released by pushing the small collar into the fitting and then pulling out the tube. <S> Sometimes the tube is slightly damaged or crushed, in which case you'll need to cut off the last little bit of the tube.
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Sometimes they are slightly stuck, and may take a little bit more force to pull out the tube, but it should be if if the plastic collar is first pushed into the fitting. These will come in the bag with some connectors, or should should be able to find them in the plumbing section of your local big box store. The easiest way to do this is with a small tool or device meant for that purpose.
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What could cause my Carrier furnace fan to sometimes stop running? I have a Carrier system: FURNACE 58UVB080; AC 24APA530, CONTROLLER SYSTXCCUIDO1-B, approximately 7 years old. New filter, impeccable condition. I was initially told by the licensed installers that the fan runs all the time, unless the system is shutdown and as far as I know this has been the situation since installation. In the last 2 weeks I have noticed when the A/C is on the fan sometimes stops for a few minutes and then it starts again. It is easy to tell because the house becomes very quiet and I have not noticed that before. The original installer firm has inspected the system and they cannot find out what is wrong but in my opinion the system is not running properly. I cannot figure out how to resolve this. I am no expert but I think it is the controller. I cannot keep trying different "techs" until someone figures it out. I cannot even find out a number to contact Carrier. Does someone have any hints what could be wrong, please? <Q> In the manual of the Carrier Weathermaker 8000, even if the fan is switched to ON, it will stop blowing for about 30s when there is a "call for heat". <S> p.14 4a of the 58TUA manual. <A> First determine if this is a blower problem or an A/C problem. <S> You mention " <S> when the A/C is on the fan sometimes stops for a few minutes." <S> If you switch your thermostat to "FAN ON" with "COOL OFF" does the blower still stop for a few minutes every once in a while even though the A/C compressor is not running? <S> If so, then you have a blower problem. <S> If your blower has been running 24/7 for 7 years, then it has many hours of operation on it <S> and it could be worn out. <S> With the power disconnected, you should carefully inspect the blower. <S> When spun by hand, it should spin freely for many revolutions and no significant drag should be noticeable. <S> If it is at all stiff, then the bearings have failed and the blower motor needs to be replaced. <S> If the bearings are good, then check the blower run capacitor with a capacitance meter. <S> The capacitor should be at least 90% of its labeled value. <S> If not, then it must be replaced. <S> If you are able to safely check the system while running, then measure the amperage consumed by the blower motor and compare that to the motor nameplate. <S> The measured reading should typically not be more than about 80% of the nameplate. <S> If you measure more than 100% of the nameplate, then the motor will definitely cycle on its thermal protection. <S> This test must be performed with the furnace cover in place. <S> If your furnace plugs into a nearby 110v outlet then you can measure amperage for the whole unit when the blower is on, using a "Kill-A-Watt" meter or similar. <S> Nearly all the unit's current draw will be the blower motor. <S> In case you do not want your blower to run 24/7 in the future, it should be possible in a typical residential installation to select FAN AUTO/ON at the thermostat. <S> Selecting "FAN AUTO" should cause the blower to run only when the system is actively heating or cooling. <A> Your description strongly resembles that of a defrost cycle. <S> For air conditioning, this should not occur unless there is some other problem. <S> But if frost forms on the evaporator (indoor unit), then stopping for a few minutes and reversing heat/cold to heat the indoor until will clear the frost and ice buildup. <S> Turning the air circulation off improves the effectiveness of the heating evaporator so that it can get back to cooling sooner. <S> The source of frosting could be impeded airflow—usually the air filter needs cleaning. <S> Or it could be a crushed or disconnected duct, too many dampers closed, excessive moisture introduced somewhere, etc. <S> If all else fails, try getting the correct number to call for information from 1-800-379-6484 shown here .
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Periodic stopping for a few minutes and restarting is unlikely to be a controller failure and is more consistent with the blower motor shutting off on thermal overload.
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How to secure an ikea Kallax shelf unit I’d appreciate some advice on the tools I need to complete a task. I bought an Ikea Kallax shelving unit ( http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/30275861/ ) It came with two brackets, with a space for one screw per bracket to attach to the wall. I need to secure it to a wall. The wall is solid – 99% sure it’s not plaster board. (My terraced house is from the 1930’s.) There is a gap between the wall and the unit because of a skirting board. I’d like to secure it in as simple and safe a way as possible. Can you recommend the screws, plugs and drill bit I need?Thank you for your help. <Q> My kids each have the red Kallax shelf system. <S> They each come with a long L bracket. <S> These should be installed on the third row up on the outside squares. <S> If you can't do it there go up to the 4th row. <S> The long part of the L goes on the wall. <S> You may have to put in 2 on each L bracket into the wall. <S> It would be advantageous if at least one of them went into a stud (then just use a wood screw - even a drywall screw). <S> From there you screw in the short end into you shelf. <S> I have trim too and shelf actually sits a good 3/4 inch from wall - should not matter. <S> Also when screwing in the short end of the L bracket try to keep the shelf flat or slightly slightly tilted back. <S> Really the shelf should "sit" and you are not moving it during install. <S> Once you screw in bracket IKEA gives you bracket covers. <S> Throw those on and you are done. <S> Note that these brackets are not made to hang you shelf on the wall or anything crazy like that. <S> They are simply so a child can't tip the shelf over on them if climbing it. <S> I am sure I could go in their rooms and rip these off the walls. <A> Not enough reputation to comment, although this should be a comment and not an answer. <S> (Strange system!) <S> Part of your post cites the gap between the unit and the wall because of a skirting board. <S> One option to address the gap is to mount a board to the wall and then secure the shelves to the board. <S> In US parlance you could use a 1"x3" or a 2"x4" board or similar <S> (I think you are in the UK, so use your available standard size lumber). <S> This should give a solid anchorage. <A> There are child safety furniture straps designed for exactly this purpose. <A> You likely have lathe-and-plaster walls. <S> When attaching shelves in the past I've drilled through the plaster and lathe, then inserted a toggle bolt through the bracket on the shelf into the hole in the wall: <S> It doesn't have to be screwed tight to the wall... <S> so it's OK if there's a gap due to the baseboard. <S> It just has to 'grab' in the case of the shelves starting to lean forward.
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For plaster you will need to use threaded anchors or toggle bolts.
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HVAC system that pulls-in cold air from outside? My house has an existing forced-air heating system and I'm looking at getting central AC added in a few weeks' time (indeed, I've booked contractors for estimates next week). An AC system would keep my house cool when it is hot outside. ...but what options are there for cooling a house when it's also cold outside (without running expensive AC)? I don't like having to manually open windows, so I was wondering if there was some kind of additional cooling system which sucks in cool air from outside and blows it through the forced-air ducts, thus cooling down the interior without needing to run AC. ...does such a system exist? Do AC systems do this anyway? <Q> There is an optional add-on part for HVAC systems called an economizer . <S> Sensors within the economizer compare the outdoor temperature and humidity with that inside the building. <S> – <S> Google <S> When you call for cooling, the unit decides if it needs to run the AC or just open the economizer to pull in outside air. <A> You're looking for the V in HVAC (Ventilation). <S> There are indeed systems that will pull in outdoor air, filter it, and supply it through the home. <S> These systems would likely be in addition to any heating or cooling equipment, not as a part of them. <S> To be specific, you're looking for a balanced ventilation system . <S> Talk to your local HVAC company, they should be able to recommend a system that will work with your existing equipment. <S> They should also be able to provide you with an estimated cost of installing such a system. <A> The term you're looking for is "whole-house fan". <S> It's a big fan that can blow outside air, inside. <S> I have one in my house and they work very well for your use case. <S> Be warned that whole-house fans are notoriously difficult to insulate and air-seal. <S> When winter rolls around, the last thing you want is a huge hole in the side of your house through which frigid air can easily enter. <S> Furthermore, you'll have to open your windows. <S> But this is unavoidable anytime you want to draw substantial quantities of outside air into your house; it has to escape somewhere. <S> With the windows closed, the air will escape through random cracks in your house, but only so much can escape that way. <S> To properly exhaust the volume of air you would need to push through your house to actually meaningfully drop the interior temperature (a lot; like 3000 CFM), you would need to punch a huge home in your wall somewhere--otherwise known as a window. :) <A> I have had these systems installed on commercial applications. <S> The system principal working method , Outside air is measured in temperature, i.e. the cooling system is calling for 74° and the exterior temperature is 63, two separate ventilation systems open, <S> The forced air to supply your house with the cool air opens and the fan turns on. <S> A second, exhaust system opens up to allow over pressure to release from your home. <S> Essentially these are two VAV boxes one with forced air "supply" and one with Variable louvers. " <S> exhaust"The controls are then integrated into your existing thermostat system. <S> The controls are then integrated into your existing thermostat system . <S> I am getting ready to install one of the systems into my home, it will be makeshift due to the type of split system I already have <S> but it is possible. <S> If you explain to your HVAC contractor what you are after they probably could devise something for you as well.
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An HVAC economizer is a dampered vent designed to save energy and give the cooling system a break.
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Is it possible to de-gloss paint? I have some satin black enamel paint, after applying it I found it to be too glossy. I know you can make paint more glossy, for example by adding varnish to it, but is there a way to make it less glossy? <Q> You can coat it with a satin clear finish. <S> or even a matte finish. <S> Both are available at most paint stores and big box stores. <A> I had that same problem (oil based paint too glossy). <S> 000 steel wool worked, sanding worked, tsp had no effect, vinegar had no effect. <S> I mixed some talc (baby powder) with my oil based high gloss paint and was able to get the flat appearance I wanted. <S> I found that it took a ratio of about 6 parts paint to 1 part talc to get the desired result <A> Use steel wool or plastic abrasive pads on it (after it's dried.) <S> There are also "paint flattening agents" if you are looking for a chemical/additive fix for another coat. <A> The 2 answers you have amount to (i) roughen it, and (ii) <S> satin/matte varnish it. <S> I suggest doing both . <S> When you're applying one finish on top of another, neither of which is primer/undercoat, you need a good key -- hence roughening the surface. <S> You don't want to create visible scratches though. <S> At some point you want to leave it in a warm place for a couple of days to make sure it's completely dry. <S> Then wipe over with methylated spirits to remove dust/grease. <S> Then you can apply your top coat. <S> Be sure to use a product with the same base as the paint you've just put on -- <S> a water-based finish like acrylic varnish won't stick well to fresh oil paint. <S> You could of course -- if you're buying something anyway -- get a satin paint for a last coat. <A> For the best possible results, just go buy the same paint in a less glossy firm and repaint the wall. <S> All the other solutions will take as much time and still might not give the results you want. <S> Save time and effort and just repaint. <A> I have used it to both flatten a painted rooms glossy look, as well as to provide a surface that a new top coat can adhere to. <S> Gloss enamel needs to be cut (a surface tooth) established for new paint to adhere. <S> If you do not provide a tooth for new paint it can peel off of glossy enamel (a lesson learned for me long ago). <A> Add a small amount of talc (try 2 TBSP per gallon). <S> Try painting it on a small piece of wood to see how it looks. <S> Add more or less depending on the results. <A> Buy some zinc and add to your gloss finish enamel paint and mix it In this way you can make in matt enamel <A> Old trick given to me by old coach painter was add talc to the oil paint Soaks up the oil in the paint dulling it. <S> Be careful with what Making It Matt suggested. <S> Don't add to much or it goes gritty rough. <A> Rub glossy paint on dry wall with hand sanitizer (Walmart Equate brand) on a paper towel. <S> It will remove the gloss, super fast, super simple. <S> No sanding, no matte clear coat. <S> Just wipe. <A> For liquid paint that you want to dry with less gloss, add diatomaceous earth. <S> Available as swimming pool filter supplies. <S> Talc might work <S> but I believe diatomaceous earth is used by paint manufacturers. <S> You would need to experiment to find how much to get the affect you want. <A> Hand sanitizer seems to remove somesurface paint but did not remove gloss completely.
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TSP has been used by painters for many years to "de-gloss" paint.
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Why are carpenters' pencils flat? My assumption is that it's so they don't roll away. But if a carpenter spends the majority of his/her day working on a flat surface, a regular pencil wouldn't seem to have the tendency to get away from them. <Q> According to wikipedia , it's so they don't roll away:: A carpenter pencil (carpentry pencil, carpenter's pencil) is a pencil that has a body with a rectangular or elliptical cross-section to prevent it from rolling away. <S> Carpenter pencils are easier to grip than standard pencils, because they have a larger surface area. <S> The non-round core allows thick or thin lines to be drawn by rotating the pencil. <S> Thin lines are required for high precision markings and are easy to erase, but thick markings are needed to mark on rough surfaces. <S> The lead is strong to withstand the stress of marking on such surfaces. <S> The pencil is robust to survive in a construction environment, for example when placed in a bag together with heavy tools. <S> The core is often stronger than in other pencils. <S> This shape and lead density aid in marking legible lines with a straight edge that are clear and easy to follow with a saw blade. <S> Though it's possible that there's some historical precedent involved: The flat pencil is one of the oldest pencil types. <S> The first versions were made by hollowing out sticks of juniper wood. <S> A superior technique was discovered: two wooden halves were carved with a groove running down them, a plumbago stick placed in one of the grooves, and the two halves then glued together— <S> essentially the same method in use to this day. <S> The "flat so it doesn't roll" theory is also supported by this article on Carpenters Pencils at PencilPages.com <S> A carpenter's pencil has at least two essential characteristics which distinguish it from other types of specialty pencils. <S> First, the shape of a carpenter's pencil prevents it from rolling, even when placed on a steep sloping roof. <S> Secondly, the lead must be strong enough to make a heavy mark and to withstand the stresses of carpentry, which frequently requires marking on very coarse surfaces. <S> The leads are usually wide and flat. <A> Not rolling is only one aspect. <S> Line thickness <S> The shape of the pencil also allows the lead to be rectangular. <S> Which allows you to easily draw lines of various thicknesses, simply by rotating the pencil. <S> Stronger core <S> The shape allows for a larger volume of "lead", which increases the strength and reduces breaking. <S> Measuring and spacing If you know the dimensions of your pencil, you can use it to make quick inaccurate measurements. <S> It can also be used as a spacer, or standoff. <S> The rectangular shape allows for two different dimensions, as opposed to a single one with a round pencil. <S> Scribing and marking Scribing and marking can be a bit easier with a rectangular pencil. <S> The rectangular shape also allows you to easily scribe parallel lines, at two different offsets. <S> I'm sure there's other uses I've missed, as I'm not a professional Carpenter myself. <A> As a professional carpenter I have used both round and flattened pencils. <S> The most obvious convenience of the flattened pencil is the additional strength created by the flattened piece of graphite. <S> These pencils are usually sharpened to a thin line instead of a point. <S> Since marks are made by moving the pencil lengthwise in the direction of the mark you have at least an eighth inch cross-section of graphite to rub against the rough surface of the wood as compared to the tiny point on a traditional pencil. <S> The flattened surface is also very easy and fast to sharpen with a utility knife which is a tool a carpenter is usually carrying around. <A> WHen laid flat it can draw a line 1/8 inch parallel to a surface. <S> When laid on its edge in can draw a line 1/4 inch parallel to a surface. <A> You can also jam a square pencil into The claw of your hammer to scribe hard to reach places I.e if some one was sheeting a curved balcony and wanted to to scribe the shape of the curve on to the plywood from underneath no time needs to be wasted on moving a ladder.
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Carpenter pencils are also used by builders, because they are suitable for marking on rough surfaces, such as concrete or stone. The most popular shape seems to be a flat, octagonal style.
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100 amp main with not enough ground slots i have a 100 amp main panel. it was put in in the 70's; i was wondering if it is ok to add a small box to put a new ground bus bar in to run all the grounds to because the box is bar very small and there are not enough slots in the boxes small bus <Q> You should be able to install the bar in your panel without too much trouble. <S> Without more detail about your equipment, it's difficult to be more specific than that. <A> "Adding a small box" for the ground connections is probably not correct/compliant. <S> Normally additional grounding bus bars are deployed inside the main panel box. <S> If the size of the box itself seems insufficient, I'd give serious consideration to replacing the whole box/panel with a new, larger (and probably 200A) box/panel. <S> Other alternatives would be to place a sub-panel (correctly wired with isolated neutral and ground) below the too-small main panel and shift several circuits to the sub-panel, to free up space in the main panel. <S> That's a proper, code-compliant route to "something like" the non-compliant "gutted small breaker box to put the grounds in" you mention in a comment. <A> TL;DR <S> No, it would not be a good idea to add another box for the express purpose of adding additional bus bar. <S> If you don't feel comfortable with making changes to the main panel, then by all means hire a licensed electrician take care of it. <S> It is not worth gambling with your life for around a hundred dollars. <S> Most panels have the ability to upgrade the bus bar, or add an additional one as Tester101 and Ecnerwal indicated in their answers. <S> This would be the cheapest and easiest option. <S> If your box cannot be upgraded, then you may need to have a new panel installed. <S> This would not be a DIY solution and the panels must be installed by a licensed electrician. <S> They usually also require an inspection from the local housing inspector. <S> Since the service is also an older one, you may also have to have a new line installed from the pole and a whole new service mast and meter installed. <S> You should provide more details about the setup such as the brand/type of box. <S> If you can, remove the cover of the panel and post pictures on it in your question.
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I can't imagine that it would be up to code, and it could create a dangerous situation. You should be able to purchase an additional grounding bar at the local big box home improvement, or a local electrical supply shop.
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What is the best way to check the wires in your house? Wires wear down eventually. This presumably can pose a fire hazard. But there are so many wires in a house and many of them are not easily accessible. In order to maintain as safe a house as possible, How can I check all the wires in my house? How often should this be done? <Q> Modern copper wire does not wear down nor erode. <S> At least not for a millennia of time. <S> If you're not sure who installed the electric system and feel that there may be a potential problem, than you would be wise to call a local electrician and have him or her check and repair any issues. <S> If you want edit your question with more detail and specifics (flickering lights, breakers shutting off regularly, breaker panel under- rated, etc.?) <S> you may get a better answer. <A> As was said, copper wire shouldn't "wear out" unless it's being flexed repeatedly. <S> On the other hand, if your house has aluminum wiring (which was briefly popular), that is known to be prone to connections loosening over time, and may want to be monitored or replaced. <A> Household wire does not wear out (or down.) <S> In the vast majority of cases where wire insulation is attacked by rodents (which appears to be your actual concern, or as close as your actual concern gets to something that does happen), nothing much happens, despite it being disturbing when found. <S> They usually gnaw off one face of the insulation, and leave the exposed conductors not touching each other. <S> Decades pass, someone renovates, it's found and replaced. <S> The obvious primary step there is rodent control. <S> In new construction or renovation, you can choose what's colloquially referred to (a long way from Illinois by electricians that have never worked there) as "Chicago code" (which may or may not be congruent with actual Chicago code) and put all wires in metal - metal boxes, armored flex cables, EMT or better metallic conduit. " <S> Gnaw-proof" wiring. <S> It costs a bit more, so it's not common in residential wiring. <S> In an existing house installation, changing the breakers over to AFCI breakers should protect against actual arcing in the hidden spaces where rodents can gnaw and you can't possibly inspect the wires. <S> They may also drive you mad with nuisance trips from using brush-type motors (vacuum cleaners, etc), but that's part of that territory. <S> Where you have exposed wiring, sure, look at it once in a while - but 90% of the wire in any house is typically invisible from the time that it's installed until a major renovation results in the walls being ripped open or removed. <S> If it's properly installed copper wire, fires started by the wiring are VERY, VERY Rare. <S> Recall that the "electrical code" in the USA is, in fact, published by an organization primarily concerned with preventing fires.
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If your house wire and electric system was installed by a state licensed contractor than you don't need to worry.
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Is there a proper amount of chainsaw tension Is there a proper amount of tension I should keep the chain on my chainsaw? I currently like to have it more loose than tight. Thnx <Q> Why yes, there is. <S> Consult the owners manual (in paper or on-line), and it will tell you what that is and how to measure it on your particular saw. <S> Too tight causes excessive heat and wear. <A> What you should also realize is that the chain will become loose after continuous use. <S> This is because frictional heat will expand the metal chain slightly. <S> That's why I like to keep my chainsaw blade just a bit on the tight side (and always well oiled). <S> This is how I tension my saw: loosen the tensioning screw just enough for the bar to move easily. <S> Then hang the saw from the hole at the very end of the bar on a nail driven into a wall or tree branch. <S> The weight of the saw will tension the blade snuggly. <S> I usually tighten the tensioning screw to make the blade slightly tighter. <S> Tighten the two bar nuts extra tight. <S> Using your gloved hand the blade should turn with medium effort. <S> And once the motor is started it should turn. <S> If the motor doesn't remain on while idling it's to tight. <A> yes. <S> there is. <S> Check the manual how to do it. <S> In some new chainsaw model, there has a feature called auto chain tensioning system. <S> It keeps the chain tension proper even after hours of cutting.
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Too loose can cause the chain to jump off the bar and result in an accident.
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Is Ground plug replacement necessary? The ground prong on my backpack vacuum came off and stuck inside a wall outlet. Should I replace the plug or does the ground not matter much? The plug itself gets really hot now when I use the vacuum. Thanks for advice. <Q> The ground prong is important. <S> If a failure occurs that connects the hot to the parts of the vacuum that are supposed to be grounded, a functional ground prong means the circuit breaker trips. <S> Lack of it means you get to play with electrocution. <S> Devices that do not have a ground prong from the factory are "double-insulated" meaning that two separate failures would have to occur to connect the hot to the case (and in most actual product, have non-conductive plastic casings so you cannot touch any metal parts) <S> So, replace the plug. <A> Yes to the plug, but you should also change the outlet if you can't get that prong out. <A> It depends. <S> many vacuum cleaners have no ground conductor in the power leadand the ground pin on the plug does nothing but stabilize the plug, if that's the case, its still safe to operate ungrounded. <S> But a plug that's getting hot should be remedied (replaced). <S> When you do that you'll also have your answer to wether the ground pin is needed. <S> (if the cable has a ground conductor the ground pin is needed for safety) <A> You answered your own question, the plug is getting really hot NOW. <S> Yes you need to replace the plug. <S> The ground is there for your protection if the vac where to get a direct short and/or a static buildup charge from the carpet.
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The plug overheating is an additional reason to replace the plug and would be even if the ground prong was intact.
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Problem- air condition- compressor and fan outside not on I'm new to hvac. My ac was working fine but it decided to die one day. I've been able to fix my ac, but it continues to happen(the same problem), and it is not easy to get to the ac (it's on the roof).The problem is: there is a switch that provides electric to the compressor and the fan, and it often turns itself off. if the ac stopped working(the fan and the compressor not running), i had to climbed up to the roof just to push that button to make it work again. I would like to know how to prevent it from switching off. Here are some more pictures 1.how to take this cap off- I worry I would break it. 2.this is how it looks when it worked. is it normal for the compressor? Sincerely,alt <Q> I am not a HVAC tech <S> but I do believe that is a high pressure switch that is tripping and there could be a couple of things going on with your unit. <S> It is tripping to protect the compressor and fan from faulting. <S> I would suggest calling a HVAC company to come take a look. <A> That could be either a high, or low pressure switch. <S> Without more information on the unit, its hard to say for sure which. <S> A high pressure switch usually opens if the coils are dirty or fan is dead. <S> Basically not enough air flowing through the system, so not enough heat is removed. <S> Check the documentation for the unit, and determine which switch this is. <S> Or contact a local HVAC company to come take a look. <S> Without more information, <S> and/or more photos, it's not clear what the problem is. <A> Although I commented above that it would be good to hire a qualified person, there are a few things a skilled DIY'er could do in this case. <S> Make sure the main disconnect is off before doing anything. <S> The most common causes for high head pressure are (a) dirty evaporator coils and (b) a poorly functioning condenser fan. <S> From the photo it looks like that condenser fan motor has <S> many years of use and the run cap for that motor is also old and not protected from weather. <S> If you have a capacitance meter you can check if the run cap is weak. <S> If it is less than 90% of the labeled value, then it must be replaced. <S> Whether or not it is replaced, the capacitor (and any other bare connectors) must be protected from weather in a NEMA 3 enclosure or similar. <S> Inspect the motor bearings. <S> If they are somewhat stiff to turn by hand <S> or if they have much play, then your motor is shot. <S> In that case you need a new condenser fan motor and a new run cap sized for the new motor at the very least . <S> The problem with following this path is that with an old system these repairs might not resolve all your issues and you need a set of gauges and some experience (i.e. a qualified technician) to make a more thorough evaluation about exactly what is wrong and how much money is worth spending on repair. <S> Odds are good that in the right hands this could be economically repaired.
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Another likely possibility for causing high head pressure is that the condenser motor bearings are worn out and they seize after being run for awhile, tripping the High Pressure Cut Out. Low pressure switches will open if the refrigerant level is low.
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What factors influence the security of a front door lock? Due to misplaced keys, we are going to either rekey or replace an old lock on our front door. The manufacturer was Barrows, which seems to be somewhat rare since our local hardware doesn't carry blanks for new keys. We would replace it only if it is feasible replace only the approx 1" diameter cylinder on the deadbolt with common brand such as Schlage or Baldwin or ... What security factors come into play? For example, does the rarity of Barrows locksets make them more secure, or is Barrows know for poor or good security? <Q> Lockpicking is tremendously sensitive to the accuracy of manufacture. <S> (There are good-quality second-source cylinders, but don't expect to find them in a $3 lock set.) <S> Degree and kind of protection from brute-force attacks varies; that's a lot of what the lock grading system is about. <S> Grade 2 locks are physically more durable than the cheap grade 3 versions. <S> (Grade 1, commercial, is more so but is mostly needed where you're also concerned about how well the lock will stand up to the wear and tear of being used frequently.) <S> High-security cylinders do make a difference. <S> So do higher-security strikes, anchored to the framing rather than the trim. <S> Master keying should be used only when necessary and should always start with a more-secure-than-usual cylinder. <S> (Some locksmiths describe master keying as "the controlled destruction of security" -- I'd say reduction but they aren't far off.) <S> And so on. <S> Seriously, the number of ways to get security wrong or right approaches the number of lock designs on the market, and there are real limits on what can be discussed in a public forum .... or should be, anyway. <A> If you have burglers that know how (or care to know how) to pick door locks, you definitely live somewhere a lot richer than me. <S> To a lock picker, all Yale-type pin and tumbler locks are more or less the same in terms of difficulty. <S> You can teach an 8-year-old to reliably pick a Yale lock in about half-an-hour. <A> The "rarity" of key blanks would have little bearing because expert crooks that want to pick the lock use tools that are agnostic to the shape of the lock cylinder slot. <S> Keep in mind also that the "security" of a door lock is only a very small part of the picture. <S> A determined burglar or crook can find a host of other ways to gain access to your property that are completely unrelated to your deadbolt. <S> At best the deadbolt is a deterrent to simple open and walk in the door type entry. <A> Number of pins and turns of the tumbler. <S> Some tumblers can turn twice. <S> I'm not sure how they work exactly <S> but I'm assured that they are more difficult to pick. <S> In any case, most burglars who find the front door locked will enter in via a window as they are often easier to open. <A> As mentioned in other answers and comments, I don't think the obscurity of the Barrows lock improves security appreciably. <S> However, I just like to keep old hardware like this "all original." <S> If you google "Barrows key blanks" you'll see that these do seem to be readily available online. <S> http://1800keyways.com/key-blanks/barrows-keys.html?dir=desc&order=name <S> So to keep it original, I might try to find a locksmith that would be willing to special order the blanks, or let me get them online and cut them for me. <S> (It's understandable that the locksmith wouldn't want to go to too much trouble for a $5 keymaking job.)
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There would be basically no difference in overall entry door security with the original type deadbolt cylinder or a good quality modern one made out of similar materials. A good-quality cylinder really is more secure than a cheap equivalent.
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Electrical engineering background, can I do electrical work on my house OK Folks, some introduction. I wasn't born in the US, I come from the underdeveloped world, where due to lack of resources it was usual to have a pair of bare wires acting as a light switch (seriously!) and there was no such thing as formal codes, NM-B wires, GFCI outlets and so forth. However, I studied electrical engineering early in my career (now I'm a software engineer), I am pretty familiar with US electrical codes (although not so involved in deep details, don't have time to read the full NEC book...). The question is: Can I do electrical work in my own house? I'm planning to install some lights in the attic, and I know for sure that I am not going to cause a fire hazard. I know how to install junction and switch boxes, run NM-B wiring, ground everything properly, following hot/neutral color codes, secure wires with staples, and so forth. I plan to run power out from an existing outlet in the existing circuit that powers that outlet and the typical attic light bulb. I plan to add 3 or 4 more lights and a new switch. Am I supposed to ask for an electrical permit? If so, let's say that I don't ask for a permit and do the work? What problems could this imply if anyway, nobody knows what's inside my attic? Just trying to save some bucks, since I feel pretty hesitant to hire an electrician and spend 100+ bucks for doing something so trivial to me. I would feel like an idiot, throwing away money, when I have seen poor electrical work done by supposedly "licensed contractors". Any ideas? <Q> Contact your local building department, and ask them if this would require a permit, and if you can do the work yourself. <S> That's the only way to know for sure, as different areas have different rules. <S> You'll likely have to pay a small fee for the permit, and have the work inspected at different stages of the job (or maybe only once it's done). <S> If you do unpermitted work in your home, and something does happen. <S> Your insurance claim could be denied, and/or you could be held personally liable for injuries and damages to others and their property. <A> The normal rule in the USA is: <S> You can work on your own home without an electrician's licence, but you can't hire yourself out to others. <S> Permit requirements don't change. <S> So sketch out what you want to do and take it down to your local building authority. <S> The permit may take some time to get, but won't be expensive compared to your salary. <S> Given that it's your first time, having a second set of eyes on your job is a good thing. <S> It's possible you will even learn something. <S> A touch of humility will go a long way to making your road more smooth. <A> I feel your pain. <S> The simple truth is that having a degree in Electrical Engineering is actually a detriment in this case. <S> The NEC, and permits and inspections are a part of civilization. <S> In engineering speak, most of the NEC is orthogonal to electronics. <S> The NEC prevents electrical anarchy. <S> That's all it is for <S> and that's what it does. <S> Anarchy in anything is a bad thing... <S> but it has fewer rules. <S> No matter how necessary, rules are often frustrating. <S> also consider that in your own home, you are focused on making it the way you want it...with the incorrect assumption that nobody else matters...ever. <S> So you might be just fine with the fact that electrons are color-blind, but when somebody comes along in a decade and expects the wire colors to be one way and they are something different... <S> So codes generate conformity that has benefits beyond just getting something to work right now. <S> Any renowned French Chef would probably burn his first bag of microwaveable popcorn. <S> The two things might both sound like "cooking", but one is actual cooking and the other is following the instructions on the bag. <S> Whatever you do, never admit to anyone in the trades or inspectors or at the county offices that you are an engineer. <S> They will take an immediate dislike to you. <S> Do yourself a favor, keep your degree a secret. <S> I usually just say "I do stuff with computers". <S> That seems to be just ever so slightly inside their range of tolerance for a 'college boy'.
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Most areas let homeowners do the work, as long as it's inspected. As mentioned elsewhere in these answers, Electrical Engineering curriculum typically doesn't intersect much with residential electrical hookup.
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How should I connect a fixture to this outlet? I'm replacing a light fixture in my house and am a bit confused about how the old fixture was wired. There are two pairs of wires, 2 black, 2 white and 2 ground. The two black wires were capped off together and not hooked up to the old fixture at all. The white and beige wire were connected two the old light I removed. I guessing one set of wires is power coming from the box and the other set is from the switch. The switch is a dimmer. The light I bought has black and white wires. Any ideas on how to tell which ones to hook them up too? <Q> Warning: <S> If you don't feel comfortable doing so, please contact a local licensed Electrician. <S> Set up your multimeter (or voltmeter) to measure volts AC. <S> Very carefully remove the caps from the white wires, making sure the wires do not come into contact with anything. <S> Turn the switch to the ON position. <S> Touch one probe from the meter to the bare grounding conductors. <S> Touch the other probe to the exposed end of one of the "white" wires. <S> Touch the probe to the other "white" wire. <S> You should have measured 0 volts to one "white" wire, and line voltage (~120 volts) to the other. <S> Using a bit of black tape, or a black marker. <S> Mark the "white" wire that measured line voltage to ground. <S> Turn the breaker off, and verify power to the circuit is off. <S> Connect the white fixture wire to the unmarked "white" wire from the ceiling. <S> Connect the black fixture wire to the marked "white" wire from the ceiling. <S> Warning: <S> You'll be working with live electrical wires during this procedure. <S> If you don't feel comfortable doing so, please contact a local licensed Electrician. <A> The fastest way to check is to use a volt meter and check between the white wire on the left and the (used to be) white wire on the right you should get 120v +- between the two. <S> With that out of the way, turn off the switch or breaker before wiring the fixture. <S> I think the white wire that is to the right of the picture is the switch leg that goes the switch. <S> That would need to be marked with black tape(that is the hot/power) and makes up to the back wire on the fixture. <S> I think that the white wire on the left is a neutral wire and makes up to the white wire on the fixture. <S> The green or bare wire in the fixture makes up to the bare wire in the back off the box. <S> I see that you have aluminum wiring <S> so make sure if the fixture has copper wires to use the correct wire nuts. <A> I partially agree with the answer from WarLoki. <S> I'm concerned though. <S> You mentioned that when you initially removed the old fixture that the black wires were wire- nutted together and the two white wires were connected to the fixture wires. <S> This could also mean that the fixture is controlled through the Neutral line. <S> As mentioned , get yourself a Voltage Tester or DVM (digital voltage meter) or you can wire a pigtail to a light bulb socket, so you can find which of the 4 wires is the common or hot. <S> Check for voltage by opening and than closing the known toggle switch. <S> If you find that a wall switch is controlling one of the white wires <S> It is unsafe because the line will always be energized. <S> I believe that may be the situation you have from the photo you posted and from your description. <S> If this is the only fixture and there is only one single pole switch controlling that fixture and the power line starts at the light fixture <S> this would indicate the wires are reversed. <S> the white wires should be twisted together and the two blacks wires should be connected to each of the light fixture wires. <S> I think you should double check this circuit and be positive that a single switch is controlling just this lone light.
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Now test between the white wire and the ground and see which one gives you 120v, that should be your switch leg, power to the fixture. You'll be working with live electrical wires during this procedure.
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What should I use to fill cracks in my wood door? I'm almost finished stripping multiple layers of paint and varnish off my front door. It's revealed some really nice detailing that was previously hidden by paint. I'd like to stain and seal the door now, but each of the 4 panels on the lower part of the door have substantial cracks in them. Right now, those cracks are filled with paint. What can I use to fill the cracks? Sorry for the blurry picture of the door ] 2 <Q> Word of advice, do not sand the door anymore than what has occured already. <S> You can see how there are a few lighter areas where some dings are that the "patina" has been removed by something. <S> Sanding will ruin the patina, making the door look blotchy as well. <S> They are made of lacquer, and if you finish your door in a water based or poly finish, this will fill the cracks nicely. <S> Burn in sticks can be bought on Ebay, its where I got mine, they come in a wide variety of colors, and the color you see is the color you get <S> , they don't change color once applied. <S> Once the door is sealed, NOT finish coated you get yourself handy a heat gun. <S> Use that to melt the stick of the color you want where it starts to flow down the stick, careful. <S> Then move it onto the door with out dripping and push it into the crack. <S> On small cracks, I use a putty knife heated and set the stick on it to melt it a little and use the knife to apply it. <S> When the crack or hole is sufficiently filled, I take the heated putty knike and flatten it out, removing the excess. <S> This will leave a small skim over the surface, which will then clean up with a little lacquer thinner on a clean rag. <S> Do not get the rag to wet, it may try to dissolve the sealer too. <S> Apply the finish coats over the repairs as you normally would. <S> Use this only in cracks, not joints, wood needs to move and if it is placed in a joint you will hinder the movement, doing more harm than good. <A> Nice door - good work on the restoration! <S> First I'd try to remove as much of the paint as possible. <S> Then the best filler would be a medium-brown tinted epoxy that matches the color of the stain you'll be applying. <S> If that's not available, a stainable wood filler should be used. <A> The cracks look pretty straight, so I would try to cut a thin sliver of wood, glue and wedge it in. <S> A table saw is the easiest approach to this task. <S> You are cutting a very thin piece that may tend to fly off the table, so be sure to wear safety glasses and stand slightly to the side, away from the strip about to be freed. <S> The wood looks like oak. <S> If there is some old oak around the house, that would be my first choice. <S> If not, I would buy some new, cut some strips, stain them to about the color of the door before trying to insert them. <S> To put them in, I would work from both sides, using strips that are less than 1/2 the thickness of the door. <S> After putting in the strip from one side, you could use a bit of exterior grade wood filler in the middle before inserting the strip for the other side, but probably not necessary. <S> I would try not to get glue on the face of the repair (wipe it off while still wet if you do), because it might interfere with any stain you apply ti the door after repair.
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A putty knife and razor blade will probably help. On old furniture and doors where the cracks are not structural, burn in sticks are what I use.
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Does this look like asbestos? I found some material (pictures below) that I'm concerned might be asbestos, while demolishing the ceiling of a house in the UK which was built in the 1920's. The material looks like concrete, but it has some brown hair-like material mixed in. <Q> No, it is plaster with animal hairs in it, probably pig or cow hair. <S> To determine if there are asbestos fibers inside the plaster, break it apart and examine with magnifying glass. <S> Asbestos is a fine white fiber. <S> It looks like this: <S> The fibers on the right are asbestos, those on the left are animal hairs. <S> Asbestos fibers will be colorless, very fine and clumped together, like in the photograph. <S> Animal hairs tend to be by themselves and have color. <S> Notice that an animal fiber will be rounded, but asbestos tends to be stiff like a corn stalk with crinkles or breaks in it. <A> Since you've already got it in a bag, send the bag off to a test lab. <S> It's the only way to know for sure. <A> I used to work for an environmental company where we did asbestos management plans. <S> The only other thing to do is figure out when the substance was put in. <S> For instance in the US asbestos was banned in 1989 <S> so we know what any construction after that date does not need to be tested. <A> The white asbestos, a mineral called Chrysotile is the most common and most of the others were used for various reasons including the same reasons Chrysotile was used. <S> I've had several unexpected positive asbestos results. <S> The used to put that stuff in everything. <S> So in short you can't tell without a lab test. <S> Asbestos didn't really get much use until the 1930s <S> but that doesn't mean that you should work without a mask or that it's definitely not asbestos. <S> The bottom line is that, if it's old proceed with caution. <S> Back in the day people would take doses of mercury and go to the barber for some blood letting(the practice of removing "bad blood" to cure ailments). <S> That's what the red twisted stripe on a barber pole symbolizes. <S> On the lighter side of things, asbestos isn't as bad as it seems for short term exposure. <S> The asbestos abatement industry that has spung up in recent decades will have you think that it's a death warrant. <S> You don't want to breath that stuff in <S> and you don't want to leave any loose fibers around but <S> 1 pack of cigarettes never killed anyone. <S> The photos don't look like anything I've ever seen containing asbestos <S> but it's old, who knows what's in it. <S> Proceed with caution. <S> Be clean, wear a high quality mask and use heavily filtered vacuum. <S> By all means send it out for a test, they may find something worse than asbestos.
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Asbestos is a blanket term for several different minerals. There is no way to identify something as asbestos without a lab test.
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