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How to block airflow under an interior door over carpet I have an air conditioned bedroom. I'd like to prevent heat from entering thru the door. I got door seals for the sides the top of the door, but I can't figure out a good solution for the bottom of the door. The door is above carpet, so I'm not sure if a vinyl door bottom intended for an outside-facing door is appropriate. I also saw some "draft stoppers" that go on the bottom of the door, but they are visually conspicuous and have mixed reviews. Any suggestions? Please remember that this is an indoor door over a carpeted floor. The gap is quite big: <Q> Google "bottom mount door sweep" for any number of inconspicuous options. <S> Really, though, I'd investigate why an interior door has so much airflow around it. <S> A window a/c unit should have no trouble keeping up in a single bedroom. <S> You should be able to see your breath. <A> A 'door sock' will do the trick. <S> A tight cold room can also introduce an abundance of condensation development inside the wall cavity leading to mold growth. <A> These are devices that have a spring loaded sweep which raises when the door is opened. <S> When the door is closed a cam is activated which drops the sweep.
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Look for something called an automatic door sweep. It appears that your gap is roughly 3/4", which should be fairly easy to fill.
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How do I remove old drylok? I'm about to start painting my basement walls with drylok. Previous owner waterproofed.....stuff looks to be about 10-15 years old. Has some stain marks in areas which shows there has been some water in the past. Was going to uses a wire brush and scrapper to get the old drylok off, use some water stop cement on the cracks that I find, and then drylok over everything. Any easy way to get the old drylok off? Should I just clear the areas where there is staining. Basement has no leaking, and the walls are cinder blocks <Q> You might want to consider speaking with drylok representitives to find out how to remove the product safely. <S> It contains Silica which is extremely toxic in dust form. <S> The products has warnings regarding it on the label. <S> I'm considering using it on my basement fieldstone and my only reservtion is the possibilty of having to remove it if it fails. <S> Or having someone else get sick trying to remove it in the future. <S> I'm sure it's inert when its on the wall, just not so sure about any dust/debri created from sanding or grinding or chipping. <S> Good Luck. <A> Frankly there's no easy way. <S> A few options can be had with a bit of elbow grease. <S> First is your proposed plan. <S> Second is attach a diamond grinding wheel to a variable speed angle grinder and use a fan for ventilation. <S> This will generate lots of dust. <S> Third is to simply scrape off the loose paint and recoat with drylok after washing the staining off with a mold removal cleaner. <S> I'm assuming the staining is black mold. <A> Water problem corrected from exterior. <S> Needed to remove 140 sq. <S> ft (7'x 20') of mostly mint condition Drylok from the only painted section of my basement cinder block wall. <S> Unbelievably difficult. <S> I found no solvent on line that said it could take it off (though I saw a post for Peel away 7 afterwards). <S> I ended up renting a 200 degree hot, high pressure power washer with 50" hose to reach my wall and blasted the top layers off. <S> Unfortunately it filled my house with steam that took 3 days to dry out and odor to disappear. <S> Industrial fan used to dry soaking wet basement. <S> I then used my regular power washer and the strongest industrial paint <S> remover I could find, using a tight spray beam one inch off wall, alternating paint remover application and power wash (6 times in total). <S> Took 4 days (7-8 hours/day). <S> Walls look pristine as if Drylok never applied.
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Industrial fan used to vent basement while working and shop vac for water removal.
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What is the point of a shower diverter? Let me explain what I mean. Most googling leads to tub related setups, but my setups do not include tubs. Lately I have been seeing these diverters in many newer bathrooms(my own new one in SG, and one in India). What they have is one tap to control direction of flow (tap / Shower / Hand shower (if any) ), one to control the flow rate and temperature, and a little knob u need to pull, which I believe is the diverter. To turn on the shower, the first tap has to be appropriately turned, the flow tap has to be turned on, and THEN the diverter has to be pulled. If the diverter is not pulled, regardless of the first tap, the water flows out of the tap. The diverter only stays in place until the flow tap is open, which means when you turn off the shower to soap up, the diverter releases, and all the water in the shower system releases down the tap. This seems ridiculously wasteful and complicated to me (2 steps instead of 1 to turn on the shower). What is the point of this? Does it serve any advantage at all? My guess is maybe this is 2 different setups merged into one.. Either way I have macgyvered the diverter to stay always pulled :P I am sorry I dont have pictures, the flow tap/diverter is similar to one of https://www.pinterest.com/brockmawson/bathshower-mixer/ and the first tap is just one that turns to pick the outlet. Update: This is more of a question to satisfy my curiosity, I am reasonably satisfied with my hack fix to hold the diverter out, and this is a rented unit, I am not looking to alter it. <Q> What you need is a valve designed just for shower only. <S> Not a valve assembly with a diverter, which are specifically designed for tub/shower combination: <S> No diverter here, most any manufacturer that you have seen offering the tub/shower valve sets also makes the shower only units. <A> To turn off the shower water temporarily during the shower, you can use a showerhead valve that mounts at the end of the showerhead pipe just before the showerhead itself: <S> [Image from FaucetDirect.com ] <S> This lets you maintain the advantages of letting water flow from the tap when you first turn it on (faster flow means less waiting for hot water, and means cold water isn't spraying on you while you wait for hot water), while letting you temporarily turn off the water at the showerhead while you lather up, shave, etc. <S> The water in the pipe to the showerhead is still sitting there cooling off while the valve is shut off, some valves will let a trickle of water flow even when turned off to help keep the water warm. <A> An alternative to JimmyFIxit's answer: <S> Actually, I have a similar rotary handle with a an additional slide-lever diverter/flow rate controller which does NOT depend on inlet flow pressure. <S> You can leave the diverter in any position you want, turn the water on/off with the main rotary lever, and the diverter will stay put. <S> It's pretty common in the USA, so I'd check Amazon.com if you can't find a similar gadget locally. <A> We had such a thing and it got stuck sometimes in shower mode. <S> That's when you realize what a good thing it usually is to have the tap as default, so you don't get completely wet by the shower when you turn the water on. <S> This is the german version, I can remember we had one even in 1990s .. <S> http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/pict/262173333141_1.jpg <S> When you pull and rotate the upper part, you control flow and heat, when the pressure is high enough, you can pull the little diverter to switch to shower mode. <S> When the pressure drops, e.g. when you stop showering, it goes back to tap mode. <S> I assume for your own safety. <S> Knowing germans, there is probably even a law and a DIN norm and some guidelines that those things have to work exactly the way they do ....
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To answer your question, the point of the diverter valve is so you can fill the bathtub without water spraying on you out of the shower head.
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What is the appropriate wire gauge for 30A DC? If my project uses 30A DC, what wire gauge should I be using? <Q> The gauge of wire you use depends on: <S> how much voltage drop is acceptable. <S> You can use a voltage drop calculator to estimate this. <S> Voltage drop depends on the voltage, current, length of wire, and resistance of wire (i.e. the wire gauge, material, construction). <S> how much heat is acceptable. <S> This depends partly on the specific application, and also the insulation on the wire. <S> Running current through a wire causes some heating due to electrical resistance, and a smaller wire will heat up more. <S> That's not necessarily a problem, unless the heating is excessive and creates a fire or melting risk. <S> (These two points are really just two ways of looking at the same phenomenon: loss of electric power due to heat. <S> But they often have different ramifications or solutions <S> so I think it is helpful to consider them separately.) <S> The wiring standards that are used in building construction are based on common assumptions about voltage, acceptable losses, typical temperature ranges, etc. <S> They may or may not be applicable in your situation. <S> P.S. <S> - I don't know what project you are working on but make sure it is properly protected from over-current conditions. <S> Most "household" breakers, switches, etc. are not rated for DC. <S> DC fuses are cheap and easy to use... make sure the fuse is always the weakest link in the entire project. <A> #10 AWG is code compliant for 30 amp circuits. <A> We're on DIY.stackexchange, so the context here is house repair. <S> However on projects, UL deems 12 gauge acceptable in short runs inside equipment. <S> Check the guidelines. <S> You may want to go higher still if you are going long distances and don't want to lose a lot of your voltage to Ohm's Law. <S> In some cases this is required. <S> Edit <S> : See also, this, which is not official but gives you a sense of the difference between "chassis" and "pole line transmission": http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm
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Since you haven't provided any information about the voltage, length of wire involved, application, or insulation, it is not possible to give a reasonable number. For architectural wiring, 10 AWG is required by code.
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Key stuck in door lock My key is stuck in the door lock and won't come out. I have tried numerous ways and it just won't. Any ideas on how to get it out or what can be done? <Q> Don't laugh, this may work as I have used it on stuck or cross-threaded bolts and locks. <S> Remember that heat makes metals expand, while cold makes metals contract. <S> Looks like the usual 5-pin tumbler lock. <S> I do not know how the key is stuck, but brass is a soft metal. <S> After long term use the surface can becomes rounded and not move the tumblers correctly. <S> The tumblers could be stuck from dirt or other contaminants. <S> This will normally loosen a stuck pin tumbler. <S> Next step is to by freeze-spray and freeze only the key . <S> This will make the key shrink a tiny bit. <S> Wiggle the key and latch to try and jar the pin tumblers loose. <S> Brass is not brittle when cold but do not use enough power to break the key. <S> I am assuming someone did not play a dirty prank and put super-glue inside the lock. <S> Even so, oil, freezing and heating will make the key loosen up, even if it takes a few hours. <A> (can't see the images as I am at work)I had a key get stuck in a lock half rotated once. <S> I forget exactly what happed. <S> I believe it has something to do with ability to set the lock for a different key, one of the pieces got jammed. <S> I ended up disassembling the entire lock and reassembling. <A> There are several possibilities. <S> One, that everyone else has been pursuing, is that the lock cylinder itself is binding. <S> If so, lubrication and/or vibration may help loosen it. <S> If you think it might have been super glued, you can try acetone, which dissolves cyanoacrylate glues -- but it may also dissolve the finish on the lock, and on the door, and on anything else it drips on. <S> Personally I'd consider replacing the cylinder in that case. <S> Which brings us to the other possibile approach <S> : Open the door from inside, and disassemble/dismount the lock far enough to remove the cylinder. <S> If it turns freely by itself, the latch mechanism was jammed; check that the latch is engaging the strike without side pressure and is operating smoothly. <S> If the cylinder still doesn't turn, you can get a replacement and worry about unsticking this one later, and/or bring the cylinder to a locksmith for assistance. <S> Much cheaper than asking the locksmith to come to you, much easier than bringing her the whole door... <A> After trying all the great suggestions above and failing, I ended up calling a locksmith. <S> He fixed it in 15 minutes by taking the lock apart. <S> As it turned out, one of the pins in the 6-pin lock was tilted and not letting the barrel move. <S> That was it. <S> Hopefully, this answer will help someone else in a similar situation <A> Graphite lube is better than WD-40 for locks... try a product called lock-ease. <S> Use a rubber mallet and whack it hard many times while turning and jiggling the key. <S> Don't hit the key, when hammering. <S> Keep turning-pressure on the key while hammering and jiggling. <S> Edit- <S> You <S> can use WD-40 in a pinch, if you don't have graphite, but you should then use copious amount of lock-ease to rinse out the oil or take the lock off the door out and rinse it with a solvent like acetone whithin a few months. <S> Use graphite for lubricating locks, not oil or products like WD-40 which will collect dust and eventually dry, leaving a gummed up lock. <S> You should also get a new key cut, because the primary reason for keys getting stuck is that they have been worn down too low. <S> Keys are basically "digital". <S> So a new key should fit better. <S> Edit: If you have powdered graphite you may need to suspend it in isopropyl alcohol. <S> A 5%-10% solution (by weight) should work, but measuring could be an issue, so another way to do this is to put some graphite in a baggie, and then add 90% isopropyl alcohol to it. <S> Use as little alcohol as possible to make a suspension. <S> The suspension should be runny enough to be sucked up with a dropper. <S> Where to apply lubricant:
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Try oiling the key first by forcing WD-40 or a light motor oil into the lock and tap the key lightly with a small hammer.
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Can one pane of a double pane window be safely removed? Recently I asked Is there a way to remove condensation and clean inside a double pane window? The answer appears to be "no", at least not without resorting to very dangerous chemicals. Two of the windows in my house with failed seals are on an unheated porch. For these windows, I don't see any reason why I need to have double panes. I don't need the insulation that the double panes provide. I'm thinking that I could just remove one of the panes. Is it possible to safely remove one of the two panes? What technique should I use? If I do so, should I remove the inner our outer pane? The two windows in question are fixed windows (they don't open). They were installed when the house was built 20 years ago. They are above a sliding door, so they are fairly high off the ground. The gap between the panes appears to be about 1/2 inch. <Q> I woud not try the "cut out or smash one pane" approach. <S> I might try removing the pane as a unit (yep, you're going to have to dis-assemble wherever it was "built in place" a little) and drilling the seal/separator full of holes to ventilate it - or simply go ahead and replace it. <S> If you replace it with a single pane unit you will very likely have condensation on the single pane, leading to sill rot. <S> Even an unheated porch (which is connected to a heated house) is going to be warmer and moister than the outdoors in winter. <S> If the glass is tempered, you'll have crumbs, not shards, if you try to cut it or break it. <S> It may or may not be tempered. <S> To borrow from my comment on the incredibly dangerous answer to your prior question, IF the panes are not tempered, you could try drilling two holes top and bottom on the outside pane, and glue screen over the holes. <A> I have successfully and very gingerly broken the interior side of a double pane window and removed the shards and chips with pliers and fingers--again, gingerly. <S> The stain/fog inside had made them look unattractive and blurred the view. <S> I hit carefully with a hammer in a lower corner, and started pulling from there. <S> However, the inside of the outer pane--which remained--had lots of stain on it. <S> It took a while, but with lots of rubbing, even with SOS pad plus vinegar plus kitchen soap, most came off. <S> I had to remove the wood trim to get to it, but the frame from the window remained. <S> I put the wood trim back, did a little careful wood dough filler, and it looks as good as new (if you don't look too closely). <S> Cost: 0 <A> I have similar windows at home (mine are pushing 30 years) and I've been able to replace a broken pane in one window some time back. <S> It was not fun. <S> As I recall, there is <S> a rubber spacer between the panes and glass may be glued to it, and the whole assembly has the exact thickness of the channel in the window sash. <S> If you simply remove one pane without doing anything else, the other pane will be loose. <S> And, in order to remove it, you need to disassemble the sash and pull out the spacer, at which point you might as well wipe the interior, reassemble it as double-pane again and reseal. <S> I would not recommend trying to break it since you'll end up with 100 small shards partially glued to the spacer along the entire perimeter of the window. <A> I have done it accidentally. <S> It is a full length window in a porch door, so the double glass is not essential. <S> Apparently a leaf blower blew something into it and broke the outer glass ; I discovered it after cleaning the yard. <S> As a door it is safety glass <S> it broke into tiny pieces. <S> There are still some tiny pieces of glass in the edge , they are not noticeable unless you wipe the glass with a cloth. <S> If I was doing it deliberately , I would use a spring loaded center punch, I believe this is a way thieves brake car windows. <A> The glass is usually adhered very strongly to the seal. <S> Any modifications to allow venting or convert it to single pane will cut its effective R-value down to that of a single pane window. <S> It's not cheap, but probably worth it in the long run.
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When I saw the small hole I put tape on the rest of the glass so that tiny pieces did not go every where and broke all the glass out. If ventilated, the ventilation should be to the outside air in a heating climate. If you know the brand of the window, you can order a replacement pane - I paid around $85 to replace one of mine a couple years back.
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How to deal with this mold on the window frame? I just discovered what I assume is mold on my window frame in the kitchen/living room (quite high humidty, but the window has been open a lot and our fan is going 24/7). Now, I've been told that dealing with black mold is dangerous, my landlord however looked at it and said it can easily be dealt with with bleach. After googling this I'm still not sure if I can or can't deal with this myself, some say I should get him to get someone to do it professionally, others recommend everything from bleach to special paint. What is the right way for me to deal with this? <Q> That looks pretty bad. <S> Don't use bleach, use a purpose-made mold killer product. <S> I like Mold Armor, myself. <S> Be careful with these products. <S> They're super caustic and you could probably hurt yourself if you drink them or don't have good ventilation. <A> I think that the landlord is responsible, but sometimes it's necessary to do things yourself... <S> that depends on your living/renting situation. <S> Household (5%) bleach (dilute 1/2 cup bleach : gallon water) will absolutely work. <S> The black mold is probably Aspergillus niger, which often produces something called aflatoxins, which can cause cancer. <S> But the danger involved with cleaning it off of a few windows is overrated compared with chronic exposure from living with it, eating it, or cleaning it up on a daily basis (ie. <S> , people who clean or remove mold for a living). <S> But if you are concerned, use a dust mask. <S> But more importantly, the reason for the mildew is moisture; maybe it's from humidity/condensation, but usually the problem is that the window is getting rained on, and water is collecting on the sill. <S> Preventing mold should start with weather protection. <S> If high humidity, is the issue then a dehumidifier should be used. <A> I had mold in the basement bathroom. <S> We installed a window which can be opened, a small humidifier, and cleaned mold with bleach. <S> Advice for bleach, I emptied window cleaning spray container and sprayed bleach rather than using a cloth or something else. <S> Works like magic. <S> No more mold.
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Mildew resistant paint would be a good idea, after you clean it.
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How can this panel pull 100A without any breakers tripping? I have a three phase panel fed from a three phase 100A breaker on another panel. I found the 100A breaker tripped on the main panel, but none of the breakers in this panel were tripped. My understanding is limited but if I understand correctly, the four breakers in this panel do not add up to above 100 on any phase. The breakers are installed as follows: Upper left: 30A 2 phase Lower left: 40A 2 phase Upper right: 20A 2 phase Lower right: 20A 1 phase Total breaker limits per phase: 30+20+40=90 30+20=50 40+20=60 What am I missing or misunderstanding? How could none of these trip while the 100A tripped? If this is impossible, what should I look for in terms of failures that might allow this situation to occur (i.e., bad breakers, weird loads, etc) The main panel has four wires coming in, and the subpanel is connected directly to the white wire shown with two wires, one being smaller than the other which I assume is ground. The other three wires are connected to the 100A breaker. <Q> It could have to do with the trip curves of the breakers, and/or the ambient temperature differences between panel locations. <S> Trip Curve <S> For example, let's say all the circuits on Phase A are drawing 3 times the rated current. <S> The trip curve for these breakers, say they will trip between 10 and 30 seconds at 3 times current. <S> So the total current on Phase A at the main panel is 270 amperes, or 2.7 times the rated current (100 A). <S> The trip curve for the breaker in the main panel, says that it should trip between 12 and 35 seconds at 2.7 times current. <S> If the breaker in the main panel is a bit more sensitive, you can see that it might actually trip before any of the secondary breakers. <S> Ambient Temperature <S> As well as a trip curve, circuit breakers will also have an ambient temperature curve. <S> Breakers are designed and calibrated to operate at 40°C (104°F) ambient temperature. <S> If the breaker is operated at an ambient temperature of -10°C to 24°C (14°F to 75°F), the breaker will be able to carry more current. <S> However, if the breaker is operated at an ambient temperature between 41°C to 60°C (106°F to 140°F), it will carry less current and could lead to nuisance tripping. <S> For example, if the 100 ampere breaker is operating at 140°F ambient, you might find that it actually trips at only 85 amperes. <S> High Altitude <S> When breakers are installed at higher altitudes, the current has to be adjusted due to the reduced cooling effects of the thinner air. <S> According to the documentation I could find, the adjustment multipliers are as follows: <S> 0 - 6600 ft. <S> (0 - 2011 m <S> ) -> <S> 1 <S> 6600 - 8500 ft. <S> (2011 - 2591 m <S> ) -> <S> 0.99 <S> 8500 - 13000 ft. <S> (2591 - 3962 m <S> ) -> <S> 0.96 <S> If you were installing a 100 ampere breaker at 10,000 ft., the breaker should only be expected to carry 96 amperes ( 100A <S> * 0.96 <S> = 96A ). <S> Though in your situation, the breakers are likely all installed at a similar altitude. <S> So this it likely not the problem, unless the air near the main panel is significantly thinner for some other reason. <A> A dead short could easily trip a main breaker. <A> Could be something as simple as a short between the 100A breaker and the subpanel. <S> Have you inspected the entire length of the wire for e.g. signs of rodents chewing on insulation? <S> Also, your photo is unreadable and all I can tell is that you have four breakers, one of which is single-pole <S> and I'm not clear about the others. <S> What are the ratings and phase assignments of each breaker?
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Breakers trip on overload or short circuits.
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Steel tube deflection over span I am installing 16' desktop to a concrete block wall. The back wall and one side will sit on a 2x4 ledger. The opposite short side will be a solid plywood panel to help support weight. The top will likely be 3 hollow-core doors topped with laminate. As this will be used like a desk for multiple people, I want the front of the unit to have no support legs to be in the way of chairs/legs. I do plan to have some angle supports cut from plywood to help distribute the load (think right triangles, but with a with a significant crescent removed from the hypotenuse to help for knees clear) At the front, I could use a 2x4 on edge to make a rail to help stiffen the edge, but I thought that perhaps a piece of box steel or angle aluminum would do the job with less deflection and a lower profile. What size angle or box tube would accommodate the 16' length with the smallest vertical profile and least deflection? <Q> Given the length and aspect ratio that you've proposed, it will be very difficult to meaningfully support the desk the long way. <S> 16' is just way too long to get any support across. <S> Certainly a 2x4 will be basically useless, even "on edge". <S> Also, consider the ergonomics of having a thick tabletop surface: if this is going to be a computer workstation area you do not want to have a very thick top since that will force people to sit too low and have their keyboard too high. <S> I suggest ignoring the ends and building the desk to be supported the short way, i.e. cantilevered out from the wall. <S> If you look around you will find various floating / triangle desk bracket designs. <S> Whatever you do, make sure the desk is sturdy. <S> People will invariable pile a desk with books, computer equipment, etc. <S> and even sit on & lean against them. <A> I think the only viable low-profile solution considering hollow-core doors is full bracketing on 24-32" centers. <S> You can get away with brackets that extend 1/2 to 2/3 the depth of the top if they're well-anchored to the wall. <S> There will be considerable tension at the upper anchor points. <S> I'd want a plate on top of the brackets significantly wider than the brackets themselves. <S> Were I doing it <S> , I'd get 24" <S> max brackets and top them with 2x4s running lengthwise (parallel to the desktop) front and rear to distribute the load. <S> Like so <S> (end view): _________________________________________|_______________________________________||____|_____________|____|| <S> /| <S> /| <S> /|/| Note that the rear 2x4 here would supplant your rear ledger. <S> With this approach your support is nearly invisible, does not interfere with legroom, and provides a channel for cable management. <S> 1-3/4" solid-core doors are extremely stiff and would possibly accommodate your original plan. <S> I have a similar setup in my office, with a span of about 12'. <S> I do use several max brackets in that case, though. <A> According to http://metalgeek.com/static/deflection.php , a 2" schedule 80 steel pipe with your dimensions would deflect less than an inch in the middle under the weight of 1000 lbs if both ends are fixed. <S> In your case, one end would be fixed to the wall <S> but you'll need to prevent the other from moving laterally under the weight of the table, e.g. by running additional bracing under the table at the 45 degree angle between the end of the pipe that sits on the opposite short side and the rear long wall. <S> (And said bracing may need to be even more massive than the pipe. <S> An I-beam, perhaps?) <S> You'll also need some very serious fasteners at points where pipe and bracing attach to concrete and plywood to keep this construction together. <A> If multiple people are using it, it needs to have even less deflection to reduce bounce/shake from people moving.
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You might also consider whether adding a few legs would really be a problem; that would make the desk substantially stronger (and/or easier to build). Since it seems you would want a profile height of a 2x4 on edge, I would recommend a 4x4 square steel tube with a wall thickness of at 1/8"-1/4" to minimize deflection. A ledger at the end of the desktop is optional depending on the final bracket position. That said, you'll still have flex, and the brackets that fall on the inner (mostly hollow) portion of the door could eventually press through the veneer sheet.
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Which of these will strongest connect three panels? I'd like to assemble essentially a cube made of aluminum panel walls (30 cm x 30 cm x 4 mm sheets), with an emphasis on stability/strength of the cube. Since I don't have welding knowledge, I'd prefer to use (internal) connector brackets to connect each corner of every three panels; i.e., a total of 8 corners. Based on research of easily/inexpensively available parts, I've come up with the following three options. (The idea being I'd use multiple of these, taking care of all inner-corner combinations of my panels.) Question: How would these rank; will one of these be significantly stronger than the others in connecting the three aluminum panels? <Q> B seems like the obvious choice. <S> You can easily rule out A because it will require two brackets, minimum, and even with those two, one of the seams will be weak. <S> To make that seam strong, would require a third bracket, and it is generally undesirable to increase part count when you can achieve similar results with a smaller part count. <S> (But I'll admit you didn't say that was part of your criteria). <S> C has the same problem. <S> Two of the panels will be tightly connected to one of the panels, but one of the seams is weak and can flex open more than the other two. <S> Another thought: B in the corners with A at the midpoint of the panels would be a really nice tight box. <A> I've work in the machinery industry for 38+ yrs. <S> Depending on the thickness of the material I would say probably item C. Either self drilling sheet metal screws or if cosmetics is not an issue bolt with a nylok lock nut. <S> Good luck. <A> a is no good because it only anchors two panels, b is no good as the fasteners are too close to the outer corners (to weak of a connection) so c would be my choice. <S> but how are you going to mount these brackets. <S> you wont be able to get at the interior ones on 4 corners once 5 of the faces are attached. <S> are you using blind rivets? <A> Some of the other answers here seem to miss the fact that you would use three of the A brackets in each corner to tie the three panels together. <S> I am going to make the assumption that you are going to use nutplates & bolts to assemble the box, with through holes in the aluminum plates. <S> I am also going to assume that the bolt head will be on the outside of the box and the nutplate affixed to the bracket on the inside, because how will you tighten the bolt head from the inside for the 6th side? <S> Taking all this into account, <S> I think A is your best option for strength. <S> However, it will take more care in mounting the brackets than the other two options to ensure the corners line up properly. <S> You'll want to space them as closely together as possible without interference. <S> In fact, I'd probably discourage this method unless you are trying to use your box to lift a car. <S> I think a modified version of B is your best overall option for simplicity and ease of installation <S> - I would go with something like this: <S> This will allow you to put the nut on the inside (or possibly better yet, tap the holes to match your bolt thread and screw your bolt directly to the bracket itself, eliminating the need for nutplates). <S> In either case, you could add additional A brackets along the sides of the box for extra strength.
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The obvious advantage to B is that each panel will be directly tied to the other two panels, which means every seam will be much tougher to separate (flex open) than A and C.
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Replacing a dimmer switch with normal light switch (picture) Today, I wanted to replace a dimmer with a normal switch for my dining room lights. When I pulled the dimmer out of the wall, all 3 wires just fell right off of their connections. I'm surprised the house didn't burn down years ago... Anyways, whoever installed this did a terrible job and I'm now left with 9 wires sticking out of the wall. 3 white wires bound together 3 ground/copper wires bound together and connected to the dimmer's green wirewith a metal "staple" 3 black wires in which I do not know where theygo. I removed the wire nut off of the white wires so I was able to see which direction they are going. 2 white wires coming from the left, 1 white wire to the right, same with the black wires. Now, I've been trying to read up on which wires go where, but I'm stumped at this point. I know I will have to wire nut all of the white wires together, and of course run the green to the switch ground. Where do the wires go? Do I need to use a 3 way switch even though I only have a single switch to control a single light at this point? Thanks! <Q> The simplest thing to do is to turn the breaker on and figure out which black wire is supplying the current. <S> (This is arguably one of the more dangerous approaches, but it is safe if you follow precautions like have someone guarding the wires so they are not touched while the power is on.) <S> Use a multimeter and test the voltage between the ground wire and every other wire. <S> Exactly one black wire should have 120 volts on it. <S> If not, stop and report back here. <S> Once you identify which black wire is hot, turn the breaker off. <S> Then wire nut all of the whites together. <S> Wire the "hot" black wire you identified to one other black wire. <S> Turn the breaker on. <S> Note if the ceiling light came on. <S> If not, turn the breaker off, hook up the other black wire to the hot black wire and turn the breaker on. <S> Note if the ceiling light came on. <S> Turn off the breaker. <S> Now you know: 1. <S> which black wire is the "hot" wire, and 2. <S> which black wire goes to the ceiling fixture, and 3. <S> your "other" black wire, which probably provides power to another switch or outlet. <S> You should wirenut the "hot" wire and the "other" wire together with a short scrap of black wire to create a pigtail. <S> Connect the pigtail to the switch. <S> Connect the black fixture wire to the other side of the switch. <S> And your whites should already be wire nutted together from before. <A> I am guessing that if you apply a meter you will find that the single black and white on the right address power coming into this switch box, and the wires on the left run to the lights. <S> If so the switch installs between the left black and the right blacks, to interrupt the hot line, the whites are all tied together to provide the neutral connection (as you found them) and the greens are tied together and have a wire that goes to the switch's ground lug. <S> The worst that should happen is that one of the lights says on no matter what you do to the switch; if that happens, a different combination of the black wires is needed. <S> The meter should tell you that, though. <S> (@longneck's answer is a more principles approach to this.) <A> Wire nut all black wires.use meter. <S> It's safer than letting them stay open and hot. <S> To be honest I'd check the rest of ur sockets. <S> The arc flash burns in box is a dangerous sign
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So just hook up the ground wire to the switch, and you're done! It should be safe to try that and see if my guess is correct.
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DIY way to wash sand/clay out of driveway gravel? I hate how the sand and fine dust blows around on our dairy farm's gravel driveway in the dry summer months. It's not reasonable to talk about blacktop due to the long driveway and the fact that it would get pummeled and potholed year-round by a huge heavy milk truck constantly rolling in and out. Is there any reasonably low cost DIY way to remove the sand and clay dust from a gravel driveway myself, that does not involve: hire contractor to remove 6-18 inches of gravel top layer they haul it away to an old quarry for burial they bring in washed gravel to replace it I've been looking for some way to do this myself, to buy or rent a very small sized "gravel wash plant", but I don't think there's anything affordable. I might have to build a one-off machine myself to do it. (Most web searches for this topic are SEO'd heavily by idiot mining and gold prospector companies. Trying to find answers via a direct web search for a "DIY wash plant" is useless, as it all is steered in the direction of huge expensive mining and highway resurfacing equipment.) In order to not create a ridiculously huge mess, I'd apparently need: baby track excavator to pull up the gravel baby trommel (rotating screened barrel sieve) with high pressure water spray wash heads settling tank or centrifugal separator to separate the agitated/suspended sand and clay from the wash water sealed dump truck bed for the liquified clay and wet sand. The separated sand and clay gets dumped out in a pile in a back field or woods area somewhere, and goes back to nature. Once all the clay is removed (consisting of possibly 50% or more of the volume of gravel removed for cleaning), I'd apparently still need to bring dump trucks full of fresh washed gravel to replace the large volume of clay removed. Signs seem to point in the direction of just hiring a contractor as mentioned at the top, as full-DIY is probably going to be too ridiculously complex and expensive, requiring buying or building one-off gravel wash, and clay/sand settling equipment, that then is never used again. Also, I am aware this is not a permanent solution, as the gravel will slowly fill with sand and clay dust as the years go by. But it may be a decade or more before it gets very dusty again. <Q> The clay/sand/finds help bind the gravel and create a macadamized and tough surface. <S> Removing the fines will loosen the gravel, and unless you have a vibrating tamper/grader, your road will be in far worse condition when you are done. <S> Traditionally, people simply watered the roads to keep the dust down, but you can also put some lime on it. <A> You can spread oil on it to keep the dust down and bind the clay and small stones to the road. <S> Many kinds of oil can be used. <S> Web search "oiled gravel road" for information and discussion. <S> The oil will inevitably be tracked into your dairy barns, so you will be limited to nontoxic and biodegradable, but that still leaves a lot of choices. <A> Dust control for roads is commonly accomplished by either spraying water or by adding calcium (or magnesium) chloride (which absorbs water and makes the road moist). <S> Polyvinyl alcohol is not as good. <S> I would reconsider asphalt. <S> As for removing sand and clay, the only option is physical removal. <S> A shaker-screener works for wheel barrow loads, but I suppose that's not helpful. <S> Industrial level screening is an answer, but it's also absurd. <S> I recently saw another possible option... mulch: <S> Can I use mulch as a driveway covering? <S> which might be of interest. <S> Perhaps you could try it in an area to see how it does (or doesn't) affect the dust. <S> For the price, it would be worth testing. <S> And I came across a patent where a mix of 5-10% gypsum and 5-10% gluten in water can been used to control dusty roads too. <S> I'm sure there are lots of other dust controlling concoctions but calcium chloride or just water <S> will be the cheapest. <S> edit- <S> renting a bobcat or getting a front loader for the tractor would be smart. <S> Just dig out the old stuff and lay down some new/good gravel. <S> Read about asphalt emulsion . <A> It's probably not a great idea to clean 6-18" of road material due to cost ($ & time).Frankly, I would tilling up ~6" at a time across the whole width of the road, sift out the loose/small materials, discard it along the side of the road, redeposit the sifted gravel, & then heavy-roll the redeposited gravel to pack it down. <S> Let the rain wash down whatever dust is left over--or, if you're really disturbed by the dust, then spray it down asap. <S> Note: <S> There is no permanently getting away from the dust. <S> Nature will redeposit dust/dirt each day--so you'll eventually have to spray/rinse the gravel and sift it now & then. <S> One final thought. <S> You could also remove the gravel, lay down a heavy barrier (tar or roll roofing asphalt or even heavy felt) as a base for your gravel. <S> Doing that would prevent sand from below the barrier from coming up into the gravel. <S> Once again--that's a much more expensive option--but it would help to reduce gravel from sinking into the sand &/or sand from migrating up into the gravel. <S> hth, best regards! <A> I have a lovely white gravel walkway that's become fouled with dirt and dust over the years, and have thought a fair bit about how to clean it. <S> I haven't found any really good answers <S> but... <S> To keep dirt fines from working upward into the gravel from the bottom, there exist nonwoven geotextiles , including felts. <S> These are commonly used in road building. <S> This won't help with blown-in dust, obviously, but my walkway has very little of that. <S> As far as putting back material to replace the lost material, one option is to put the separated fines back down before you put the gravel back down, and under the geotextile if you use it. <S> To separate the gravel from the fines, that's the real trick. <S> To start with, the sifter you'd want is "hardware cloth" since it comes in a variety of sizes to suit your gravel. <S> But it can't carry the weight of gravel, so you'd need something underneath it holding it up. <S> You'd also need a way to shake it. <S> What's coming up for me is a small trailer towed behind a garden tractor or ATV. <S> Steep tilt bed (for easy emptying), raised sides and braced hardware cloth bottom. <S> Figure out the right-sized load <S> so the gravel shakes itself out when you drive it around. <S> This but with better tilting, since your goal is to gravity unload gravel, not drive on equipment. <A> Searches recommend by Google, having asked: what do they spray on dirt roads to keep the dust down? <S> dust down; what do they put on dirt roads to keep the dust down; what to use to keep dust down on gravel road; gravel road dust control products; gravel driveway dust control; cheap road dust control; spray to keep dust down on gravel roads; gravel road dust control calcium chloride... <S> If I may be so bold, you google your problem, not what you think the solution is. <S> IMO, the solution is oil, as user A. I. Breveleri suggested.
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You could also keep laying down new washed gravel on top of the old--but that would get very expensive quick. The only serious solution is to use cement or asphalt, and asphalt is cheaper.
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2 sinks on one drain line I have my bathroom sink rough plumbing coming from the 3" stack vent, running about 2 feet. My question is: can I use that same drain line for another sink? Reasoning: about 2 feet from that sink drain I have a wet bar sink I want to put in. Using the same drain line sounds easier, only because of where the stack is, not because of putting in the second trap. <Q> Consider all the dual-basin kitchen sinks... <S> "If it happens, it must be possible." <A> Speaking from personal experience, only use one trap in a dual sink bathroom. <S> With two traps, you can get air pockets blocking one or the other's drain. <S> You also promote stinky slime growth inside the pipe between the two traps. <S> I don't know the biology with that. <A> Normally, these double tees are used for adjoining bathrooms, so you can have a sink on each side of the wall, and share the same stack. <S> In this case, you would be installing the tee parallel with the wall, instead of perpendicular. <S> You will need to extend each side of the tee to reach where you want the trap to be for each respective sink. <S> In order to do this, you will need to cut a short piece of 3" PVC, and then put on a 90 degree elbow and attach another piece of PVC <S> so it will come out of the wall. <S> Then you can attach the trap adapter for each sink. <A> My double kitchen sink was installed (licensed plumber) as the picture, and seems to work fine (10+ years). <S> I see no problems. <A> What the code says: If the drain in the two sinks is more than 30" apart, code states that they each need their own trap. <S> What reality says: Sometimes having two separate traps sharing the same tie in can be an issue venting wise. <S> Negative pressure issues can be solved by adding AAVs or AAV traps, but positive pressure issues will be a problem with two traps.
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As far as I know, having two separate sinks served by a single trap is not code compliant. You will need to replace the existing sanitary tee on the stack (inside of the wall) with a double sanitary tee.
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Do garage door springs LOSE their "spring"? On a one-piece, single-car door that's rarely opened (springs usually stretched), do they eventually stretch, thus stopping the opener from working? <Q> No, they don't measurably stretch. <S> The reason is that, by design, the springs are not extended beyond their elastic limit at any point in the open/close cycle. <S> The amount of "annealing" that takes place over your lifetime is too small to worry about -- or measure. <A> What can suffer on some designs is the cables. <S> They fray and effectively stretch, reducing the assistance from the spring (they can go <S> almost completely slack when the door is shut). <S> The good news is they're not hard to replace. <A> Not usually, the spring will loose some tension, but not much. <S> What I see happen more often <S> is the opener needs lubrication, so it gets slower and slower till it can't lift the door at all. <S> Get some garage door opener lube, and lubricate the guides, the screw or any moving parts that much be sliding past each other. <S> This varies depending on wether you have a belt, chain or screw drive. <S> In screw drive, the screw is the main thing that needs lubrication, in the case of a chain, the chain and the channel need lube, and in the case of a belt, only the channel needs lube. <S> Use the right lube, as you have plastic parts that need to not be damaged by the grease. <S> The grease is sold anywhere <S> you can buy garage door openers (home improvement stores).
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What CAN happen is the spring can break where it attaches to the pully, and in that case, you will loose all spring lift help.
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Is one circuit connected to two breakers safe? We redid our bathrooms and had an electrician come in and put in new wiring for outlets, heater/fan/lights and heated floors. He had to replace the electrical panel, because the house is older (1956) and didn't have enough space to accomplish the task. So he installed a new electrical panel. Everything was fine for a while. Then the lights started to flicker and electronic devices started to pop on and off. Then 1/2 the house started to lose power. No breakers were tripped. We called the electrician and he said the power loss was probably coming from the pole and to call in the power company to check the line. Power company came out, checked the line and determined it's something in my house that's causing the outage. Since then the power has gone out for up to 24 hours at a time. Flickering lights signal the outage. Now being an old house they have most of the lights along one line. Dining room light, kitchen fan light and several outlets in our bedroom are on the same line (it's a ranch) on one side of the house, the other side has multiple fixtures and outlets as well. I went down to the electrical panel (surprise nothing labeled) to see which circuit breaker was causing the problem. Went up and down both sides of the panel, but not once did the lights or outlets go out. Finally I turned off one side of the panel (left) and then started to turn on breakers one at a time and discovered 2 separate breakers 6 down from each other combined, turn off the power to the lights and outlets along this line. Now with the old box, no problems, electric did not flicker, nor did only 1/2 the house lose power. Question, what did the electrician do and is it safe to be on 2 breakers like that until he can come out and look at the problem? Thanks <Q> Did the electrician replaced the Service panel only, or (s)he also worked on other things like adding junction boxes and ran new conduits? <S> The problem of 2 breakers (let's call #1 and #7 connected to the same circuit (lights in this case) might not be at the Service panel, but it could be that he had mistakenly connected wire from #7 to the existing light circuit which already had been connected to #1 prior to this, at the new junction box. <S> You need to trace down where the old lighting circuit connected to those #1 and #7 wires. <A> There is no valid way for two breakers to control the same circuit. <S> This is bad, because, even if it was done through oversight and insulation was not punctured, two breakers combined likely have a higher current rating than wiring in each circuit. <S> For example, if each breaker is 15A, it would trip if you try to draw 15A from its circuit, before overloading the wire. <S> If you have two 15A breakers in parallel, that effectively becomes a 30A breaker, which won't trip easily and overloading the circuit would result in melted wiring inside the wall (you can imagine the outcome). <S> To protect yourself until the issue is properly dealt with, I would suggest to keep one of the pair of breakers permanently "off". <S> The fact that your lights go out at random without any breakers tripped suggests that there's a loose wire somewhere in the circuit that feeds those lights. <S> Does the set of lights and outlets which go out random match exactly with the set of lights and outlets which are controlled by two parallel breakers? <A> Permitted?Inspected? <S> Usually a panel replacement would involve bringing the entire structure up to present-day code. <S> For a remodel, reusing 1956 wiring would not pass inspection. <S> From the dialogue there are a couple notations: <S> Too many devices on a single circuit. <S> Sounds like existing wiring was reused. <S> May be ok maybe not. <S> There is an arc fault somewhere. <S> There is a miswire or short between two breakers. <S> Possible neutral issue at the pole or new panel.
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Either through accident (as suggested above, poorly placed staple) or oversight (creating a direct splice between hot wires belonging to two different circuits), there is a short between the output of breaker#1 and breaker#7. This may or may not be related to the problem of parallel breakers.
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Compressor/fan stays off when cooling turned on Before I begin , I would like to request "call a technician" suggestions to stay off. I do know a nice guy who can look it up for me, for a variety or reasons, one of which being my general history of fixing stuff, I would like to take a first stab at solving this problem. Thanks Background: Both units are middle-of-the-line Lennox, about 2 years old. The thermostat is Nest 1st generation, which also controls the completely separate hydronic heating system used with radiators. The system does only AC (is not a heat pump, in other words). Problem: I turn the AC cooling on and only the indoor unit (air handler) fan comes on. The outdoor unit (compressor) stays off. I checked power supply at the main panel (both units have a dedicated circuit, 15A for the handler, 30A for the condenser) and using a pen-like current detector. Wiring Pictures 1. Inside Air Handler Note that the upper thermostat cable is what goes to the compressor, lower goes to the thermostat. The two white wires are from a small water detector attached to the pan in which the return box sits to switch the system off in case water drips in the pan. 2. Thermostat Note that the RH red wire and the W1 white wire come from the above mentioned radiator heating system and are completely unrelated to this. RC red goes to the R in the air handler. 3. Compressor So the C connector from the thermostat is connected to the air handler via the blue wire, which goes to C in the air handler and to which the blue from the compressor cable connects it to the black wire in the compressor. My suspicion is that somewhere along is the problem unless the compressor is broken, for example a problem with its capacitor or something else broken. Question: How can I diagnose where the problem is using a multimeter? Is it possible to narrow the problem down to the capacitor OR the thermostat using my analog multimeter, i.e. to rule out the wiring, which seems like it is fine? I can turn the system on and I would like to use the multimeter to verify that the thermostat is properly turning the cooling on via the blue wire to the compressor. If so is the case, then the wiring is not the problem. <Q> The first thing to do is check the two wires on the outside unit when the thermostat is calling for cooling. <S> In your picture it looks like the Blue and Yellow thermostat wires are being used. <S> You should have 24v AC across those two wires, which would normally close the 240v relay and start up the compressor and cooling fan. <S> Since the air handler is working and the thermostat has power, the 24v transformer is working. <S> If you are getting 24v, then you can move on to diagnosing just the compressor. <S> There are limit switches that can prevent the compressor from turning on if the coolant level is off. <S> There can also be temperature sensors that prevent the compressor from running, so these would need to be checked. <S> The relay should also snap shut when the 24v signal is present. <S> A poor connection might read 24v, but might not have the amperage to actually close the relay. <S> The relay can be corroded or filled with dead ant bodies. <S> I hope this helps. <S> Clarify anything you can in the comments <S> and I can attempt to edit as needed. <S> I've done a lot to diagnose and solve problems with a WiFi thermostat and heat pump that were not wired correctly. <A> The compressor is in the condenser unit where the heat is removed in most cases. <S> The evaporator is inside the air handler where the cold air is made for the house. <S> If the cap is blown it will still try to start and normally blow the fuse. <S> The cap can be checked out of circuit by using ohms and touching the leads you should see the value climb. <S> Then reverse the leads and you should observe the same thing. <S> It looks like you may have a dual cap look on the label to make sure <S> then there would be 2 combinations to see the charge on the ohm meter. <S> There is usually a contactor or relay that is controlled by the main unit or thermostat. <S> If this contactor is not pulling in the power to the compressor and fan are not turned on to the compressor and fan motor. <A> I had the same problem many years ago. <S> The air handler would come on but not the outside compressor or blower motor. <S> Every breaker and connection checked out fine. <S> I watched the outside main contactor for the motors and noticed that the contacts were so burned away they could no longer work. <S> I founds its part number and ordered it and replaced it. <S> The AC has been working fine ever since then, but I now know that Florida's humidity and rain limit the life of the contactor to about ten years.
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If you're not getting 24v on the two thermostat wires, there's probably a bad connection somewhere.
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Are power outlets for window A/C units likely to support 220V? The windows in my apartment have single power outlets next to them like the one pictured below, presumably for use with window A/C units. Are these likely to be 220V outlets, suitable for use with larger units like this one ? One point of evidence against is that I have used these outlets successfully with smaller window units (which I do not know to have voltage transformers) in the past. If these are not 220V outlets, what is specially about them that requires them to be different from standard, two plug outlets? <Q> 220v outlets use different shaped slots - both horizontal instead of vertical. <S> Like this: <S> IF <S> that is a dedicated circuit for the AC it can be rewired as 240v quite easily by replacing the breaker and wiring it differently at both ends, using the existing wire in the wall. <S> If other things are on the same circuit you would need to run new wire from the electrical panel. <S> Assuming you rent the apartment (not a condo that you own) you would usually need the landlord's permission to get it changed. <A> Here's what you're dealing with. <S> Disregard the top row, those are for Europe. <S> The bottom four plugs apply in North America. <S> Note the very significant difference in power between them, which has an impact on which large appliance they can power. <S> The power is defined by the pin shapes, not the number of outlets. <S> Your outlet is the common NEMA 5-15 even though it's a single. <S> The single does suggest this is a dedicated circuit. <S> You need to investigate <S> but if that is true, you could reuse the existing wires and change the outlet and breaker to 240V. <S> If it's 14 gauge wire you must use the 15A outlets. <S> If it's 12 gauge you can take your pick. <S> You can use singles or doubles, your call. <A> Nope -- those are 120v. <S> Sorry. <S> They're probably like that to discourage people from plugging in 2 AC units at the same time. <A>
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That is a 120v outlet. If that is a single circuit going directly to the panel you can change it to 220 by putting the neutral and the hot on a 2 pole breaker and replacing the outlet with a 220 one... The plugs and outlets are made to be incompatible with 120v ones because plugging a device into the wrong voltage outlet could cause serious damage or fire. It will still be limited to whatever amperage the existing run supports - probably 15 or 20 amps depending on the wire gauge. You're allowed to use singles, I just show doubles in the photo to show how they are interchangeable. Quite easy actually...Just be very sure it goes DIRECTLY to the panel and doesn't pick up any other devices.
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connect 3 inch ABS pipe to only 0.5 inch exposed pipe I would like to cut an existing pipe and install a coupler to connect 2 pieces of 3 inch ABS. I would like to make the connection where I am pointing on the image. Is that enough pipe to connect to (approx 0.5 inch)? I would like to avoid going back to the main if possible. <Q> No, it is not. <S> If you read the manufacturers' instruction on the ABS cement it says to seat the pipe completely in the hub. <S> Now... I have cheated the above instruction on more than one occasion but never to that extent. <S> If you are careful, gluing to 1/2" of pipe will probably not leak immediately. <S> The problem is that the strength of the joint will be compromised and any movement (due to soil movement, expansion/contraction of pipe with temp changes, etc.) could cause failure. <S> You will likely have to rebuild that whole junction area. <A> Full insertion depth for a new fitting flange is on the order of 1.25 to 1.5 inches. <S> You should consider adapting your new connections off to the right side of the picture where there is more of a straight section of pipe to work with. <A> you can cut through that 22 degree bend and then cut the bell end off that exsisting pipe and leave in place, i just cut 2 -6 slits in the remaining piece of the 22 bend and chisel off the pieces , you gotta know what you’re doing though.
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0.5 inches is not enough of a pipe length to bond on a new fitting. Trying to rework at that Y connection will lead to a nightmare of taking out and replacing way more than I think you want to get into. I say you should "bite the bullet" and cut back to the next available spot where you have some pipe to work with.
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First floor of house wobbles! I've seen similar questions but I'm still stuck for an answer, so I hope someone can help... I've just built what is essentially a two-storey cube, 6m x 6m x 6m. It's a steel construction, a little over-specified (very solid foundations, H-beam for the posts and beams, and box beams for the floor supports). The second floor is cement-wood board, 20mm thick. When the frame was completed, it all seemed to be a bit too bendy, so I added additional 6" box posts inside at 2m and 4m, as well as triangular steel supports at the corners. That seemed to make the whole structure more stable. However, now that I've laid down the tiles and have a good solid construction, the floor still wobbles whenever someone walks on it. It's very slight, but if I walk anywhere in the room, each table and everything on it shakes slightly for a good 10 seconds or so. You can feel the wobbling noticeably. Is there anything that can be (easily) done to make the floor wobble-free? <Q> You are probably quite far from over-specified, if you have significant deflection from walking around. <S> Such are the breaks of self-taught structural engineering, particularly if you don't use the resources of formal structural engineering in your self-teaching. <S> That which will stand up, and that which will stand up without unacceptable deflection from loading are different things. <S> How this structure behaves in the face of various external loads should also be a concern; you refer to it as a house, and when houses collapse (say, in hurricane force winds) people get hurt or die. <S> Steel-framed floors are almost always built with a truss structure which has considerable depth, to provide stiffness to the structure. <S> You appear to have a single layer of square tubes. <S> I would strongly suggest a consultation with a (licensed, professional) structural engineer. <A> The fix would be to determine the deflection you want and then to make sure there are enough cross beams supported by posts that will effectively reduce the span of the original h-beam joists. <S> By placing a single cross beam across the middle (supported by posts), you will cut the span of those joists in half and substantially reduce deflection. <S> Whether that beam alone is enough to make your floor comfortable is a matter of looking up h-beam deflection/span tables or using a deflection calculator. <A> I get the impression that the "wobbling" you describe is mostly horizontal. <S> The explanation is fairly simple. <S> If you look at the height of your small diagonal braces relative to the height of your corner posts, you can see that they're undersized. <S> I'd shoot for diagonal bracing that is at least 1/3 the height of the corner posts, individually or in combination. <S> My suggestion comes from personal experience, which I admit is mostly based in wood framing.
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Steel is elastic, and therefore requires diagonal bracing to attain rigidity. So your issue is one of "deflection", which is resulting from the h-beam joists spanning too far for your liking. An actual engineer can give you more specific advice.
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How is the Air Conditioning wiring supposed to connect to my furnace? My dog has chewed through my wires on my unit that turn on my fan at the ac unit. This is not the first time. Its always been an easy fix until now. He actuall pulled the wire from the unit and I dont know exactly what wires im supposed to connect. The wires coming from the house are red and white. But when I take the plate cover off the unit... the only wires exposed are blue and yellow. Are the the correct wires? And what connects to what.???? <Q> Wire colors with HVAC wiring are non-standardized, so the colors themselves don't help much. <S> Your furance/air handler should have a control board with terminals labelled R, W, Y, G and C. <S> There should be an existing wire that connects to all of these (though maybe not C) that goes to your thermostat. <S> If anything is different in your setup, please update your question with a picture explaining, don't just wire it as I described or you may damage something. <S> The A/C unit wires connects to Y and C (usually white on C, but it doesn't really matter). <S> For reference: <S> R = power (24VAC) <S> Y = cooling W = heating <S> G = fan C = <S> common power (24VAC with R) <S> Since this happens a lot, I'd also highly recommend putting some mechanical protection on this wire. <S> Since it's already disconnected, it should be easy to fish through now. <S> Some flexible ENT tubing might be the easiest option: 1/2" rigid PVC conduit could also work, you can get elbows and other connectors. <S> All of this should be available at your local electrical / big-box hardware store. <A> Your dealing with low voltage AC <S> so you don't have to be concerned with getting the + and - backwards. <S> Prior to doing any work with the wires, verify you have 1) <S> the power off to the furnace/air handler and 2) the power off to the outdoor unit. <S> #1 will keep you from potentially having to replace a blown low voltage transformer and #2 will help to keep you from killing yourself while working in the outdoor unit. <S> The included image is representative of what I believe you have. <A> The + is yellow, and the- is blue in your case (technically common, or C). <S> The dog could have blown the fuse. <S> If you don't get anything to come one, check that fuse.
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There is a 3amp fuse on the furnace control board that protects the low voltage side. Assuming the yellow and blue wires connect to the coil on the contactor, you can safely connect the two wires from the house to the two wires in the outdoor unit.
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Can a bathroom fan be exhausted through existing gable vent? My bathroom exhaust fan recently broke. When I went to replace it, I noticed that it wasn't being exhausted from the attic. I was about to make a separate hole in the nearest gable to exhaust the fan, but my wife asked if I could butt the exhaust pipe up to the existing gable vent in order to avoid making another hole. I have seen conflicting answers in my research online. (I've also viewed this question: Can I vent a bathroom fan through an attic window? , but there's not enough support for that answer for me to be confident.) The existing vent is louvered with a screen behind it. The bathroom exhaust pipe would be pushed up to the screen (I wouldn't be cutting the existing vent), secured by a box (with a 4-in hole cut in it to hold the pipe exactly) that will be attached to one of the supports holding the existing gable vent. (I'll also caulk around the pipe where it enters the box.) Is this acceptable, or does the bathroom exhaust need to be vented directly outside? <Q> I wouldn't exhaust the bathroom through the gable vent. <S> First off, you'll be reducing the size of the gable vent. <S> Secondly. <S> Depending on how the attic ventilation is designed, the hot moist air exhausted from the duct, could be drawn back into the attic through the gable vent. <A> I wouldn't hesitate to attach the hose to your gable vent, assuming that it's made of a material that won't be affected by moisture. <S> Secure the duct in such a way that the airflow isn't directed at lumber. <S> Drawbacks include lack of a secondary backdraft flap, visibility from the exterior, and lint accumulation. <A> International Mechanical Code ( IMC 501.3 ) does not allow this. <S> It must be direct vented, typically through the soffit with a terminating cap.
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Whatever area you block with the exhaust duct, is a reduction in the area of the gable vent.
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How can I fix the issues I'm having with large double gates? I have a privacy fence in my backyard that includes a large double gate. It was built maybe a year and half ago. The whole span is about a 11' 4" opening. The gates to meet in the middle with double hinges on each gate and a rod at the bottom of both going in the ground. There is one latch in the center (a small one I might add). The latch and rods do not adequately keep the gates from rocking during high winds (Oklahoma winds!!!) so both the bars rocked loose in the ground allowing the gates to swing even more and not stay latched. As mowing season began, I figured out I could not even open the gates because they had sagged so badly and buried the bottoms into the ground. I had the bottoms trimmed off and the hinges raised everything back up too. This lead to a wider gap between the gates and now the latch really doesn't reach across well. Tried again yesterday and moved the latch in as much as was left to move. Unfortunately the gates are wide open this morning after a storm last night. How should this be repaired? Click for full size image <Q> You need to do something like this: If you Google search for "wood gate diagonal bracing" you'll get lot's of images showing the proper way to do this. <A> Gates that wide are going to need extra support, otherwise they'll surely sag (as you've found out). <S> An easy solution might be to put wheels on the gates, so that the wheels support the weight of the gate. <S> Other options include compression/tension bracing built into the gates, and/or making the gates out of a more rigid material. <S> As for holding the gates in place when closed. <S> Pipe driven into the soft ground, will certainly not do a very good job. <S> To reduce the amount of movement, you'll want a tube just big enough to fit the drop rod. <S> Using concrete to set the pipes in the ground, will prevent them from loosening up over time. <A> Two things are key to eliminate sag: Rock-solid posts that are anchored in the ground well Gates that have diagonal bracing built in If your posts are leaning, or if they wobble with the wind, you won't be able to accomplish much. <S> They must remain plumb, and they must be stout enough to not flex appreciably. <S> If your gate panels are sagging in parallax, a simple wire turnbuckle may help, or additional wood straps. <S> The latch isn't really part of the equation. <S> If the other issues are resolved, nearly any latch will do. <A> Use a turnbuckle and steel cable . <S> Not only will it keep the gate level but it will also torque it laterally, depending on which side you put it on. <S> Thus, straightening it in its entirety. <S> Luckily, the "ugly side" is the side you need to put it on. <S> ( source ) <S> ( source ) <A> Adding a stronger latch ought not to be difficult. <S> Are the gates made from wood? <S> It reads as if the (wooden) gates were not braced correctly and have consequently sagged and are no longer rectangular (i.e. are out of square). <S> That could be why adjusting the hinges leaves a gap. <S> This might be harder to fix but it depends how the gates are constructed. <S> You can straighten up some structures using something like fencing wire, a strainer and eye-bolts.
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Heavier duty hinges might work, but they'd have to be pretty heavy duty for that span. The first thing I would do is cross-brace the gate.
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Shower Light connected to bathroom ventilation fan. Does it need GFCI? I am going to attempt to make this as clear as possible. In my bathroom, there is a switch that directly controls only the bathroom ventilation fan. I would like to add a recessed light over the shower by adding it to the circuit that the recessed fan is on, so the connection would be switch->vent fan->shower recessed light. Does this connection need to be GFCI protected, and if so how would I do that because there isn't an outlet in this circuit? Would the only option be a dead-front GFI? Thanks in advance!Dan <Q> From the 2014 NEC: 210.8 (A) Dwelling Units. <S> All 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles installed in the locations specified in 210.8(A)(1) through (8) shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel. <S> (1) Bathrooms <S> There is no requirement in the code for bathroom lights or exhaust fans to be GFCI protected. <S> Sounds <S> like you have a plan for the wiring. <S> Good luck! <A> You need a fixture listed for wet locations: from the NEC.Bathtub and shower areas. <S> Luminaries located within the actual outside dimension of the bathtub or shower to a height of 8' vertically from the top of the bathtub or threshold of the shower shall be marked for damp locations or for wet locations were subject to shower spray. <S> NEC 410.10.D. <S> Since in a shower you will need a "wet location" fixture. <S> Many call the main type of fixture used a "jelly jar" because it looks like a jar that is screwed into a fixture. <A> It should be GCFI-protected. <S> But if you figure out a place to put a dead-front GCFI, you might as well put an outlet there. <S> Maybe there's a type of "wet"-rated unit that doesn't need GCFI (it's built-in ?) <S> but I've never seen one.
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I believe even "wet"-rated fans and lights need to be GCFI-protected; all the descriptions I've seen say "ok over tub or shower if GCFI-protected". I don't know if there's a GCFI switch, I've never seen one. There are many types that look better depending on what you want to spend.
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Temporarily filling a hole with a shim I have two 3" x 3" square holes on a sports court. They are around 2' deep. They take two long poles that support a net. When the poles are not in the holes they fill with water when it rains (mosquito breeding area) and are a trip hazard. Question: How can I cover these holes where the cover will be flush with the surface of the court? What I'm currently thinking of doing, not sure if it's the right approach: Buy a 3x3 piece of lumber (surprisingly hard to find) and cut 2' lengths from it and stick those in the holes. Problems I see with that: Home Depot and Lowes don't have 3x3 wood listed on their sites. When it gets wet I am guessing that it would swell and be difficult or impossible to remove. (I'm also guessing that there's something I could treat it with to make it water proof.) It would be difficult to get out even when dry. (Thinking that a small hole in the middle of the end with a sunken eye screwed into it would allow me to lift it.) If you think that my current approach of putting a block of wood in there is the right approach then I'd love to hear suggestions about how to do it to solve the problems that I forsee. Otherwise if you have a better idea to solve this... <Q> My first thought is square flush tubing plugs. <S> they come in all sizes, for tubing up to like 6". <S> Check out this web site: <S> Mocap square tubing plugs Should be pretty easy to pry out with a small tool when you need to. <S> They are not advertised as perfect seals to keep out water, but unless an area depression causes standing water right by the hole, I bet they would do a pretty good job. <A> I would not use wood. <S> I would fill the hole with a "thing" but I would not make the "thing" of wood. <S> The rubber square would cover the hole or two in the steel plate that you'd use to hook them out of the holes in the ground. <S> Cheapskate quickie alternative - buy a 1-1/2" XPS styrofoam insulation sheet. <S> Cut 3" wide strips. <S> glue them together with a waterproof, foam compatible glue (PL300 is one, IIRC, there are surely others) to make a 3" square (or whatever size it takes for a light friction fit.) <S> Glue some sunlight and rot resistant (polypropylene is one choice) string into the joint, run all the way to the bottom, possibly threaded into some holes. <S> The "rubber flap idea" would still be good for covering that string and the top surface of the foam - the string should have a loop up top <S> so it can be used to pull the foam block out. <S> A loose fit will float, which is why you want a friction fit, but not one that makes you break the string. <A> I'd use treated 2-by lumber to create a simple cap-and-post device. <S> Cut squares the size of your opening on a miter saw and give the corners a small bevel to ease fitment. <S> Measure <S> the depth of each hole and subtract the thickness of your cap material (1-1/2" in this case). <S> Cut lengths of 2x2 lumber (or split 2x4s) as legs. <S> Fasten the caps to the legs with decking screws. <S> Drop them in the holes and be happy. <S> You could drill a 1/2" hole near one edge of the caps to facilitate removal, say with a wire hook. <A> I would try to create a top seal that is slightly larger than the hole (maybe 3.5x3.5) with beveled edges, screwed into a block slightly smaller than the holes. <S> A firm, but flexible plastic, maybe. <S> Aluminum if you cannot work out the plastic. <S> I would then seal under the overhanging flange with exterior caulking. <S> Removal by cutting the seal and, if necessary, screwing an eye into the top to pull. <S> Rip it down to 2 3/4" x 2 3/4". <S> Insert in hole and caulk (exterior rated) edges. <S> Top coat with silicone seal, liquid rubber or other waterproof topping. <S> Remove by slicing around the edges and prying out (using a center eye if necessary). <A> I think <S> but I didn't go measure <S> might be 3/8" take your own measurement). <S> Cut the decking material to fit the hole as tightly as you want. <S> Then using galvanized or stainless steel screws about 2" long attach the two pieces. <S> Put the stakes in the hole before screwing. <S> Find something to use as a shim temporarily (a small wad of masking tape would work great) to keep it centered, then add your wooden decking top piece. <S> Pre-drill <S> one screw hole through both pieces placed correctly, put the screw in, then pre-drill a second screw hole and add a second screw. <S> Resist the urge to drill both together <S> , I guarantee they won't line up as well, get one screw in then add a second. <S> Be sure to pre drill a slightly smaller hole the entire screw depth or either wood piece may split. <A> The idea you have is a good one, but you will probably not have any luck finding dimensional lumber that fits your needs exactly. <S> Instead of looking for a 3 x 3, you can just buy a pressure treated 4 x 4, which is only really 3.5 x 3.5, and rip it to size using a table saw. <S> Since the depth of the holes is only approximately 2' <S> deep, you should have enough material for both holes using one piece of lumber. <S> Once you have cut the wood down to the correct size to fit the hole, insert the wood into the hole until it reaches the bottom. <S> Mark the depth, and cut it to length, and re-insert it into the hole. <S> When you are done, you will have a plug that fits perfectly. <S> One thing you want to do is cut the wood slightly smaller than the opening of the hole so you will be able to remove the wood later. <S> If it is a tight fit, then the wood will expand too much from being exposed to moisture, and you would have a hard time removing it. <S> When it comes time to remove the plug, you can screw in an eye hook to the end and lift it out by hand.
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Following the theme of the question, If you want to use wood, perhaps for simplicity, I would get like a 2x2 pressure treated deck wood and make a stake that is short by the thickness of a piece of wood decking (1/2" Depending how long this is supposed to be in use and the use of the surface when it's in place, some sort of light caulking or rubber cement to keep the flap in place might be appropriate. Since you seem to have steel sockets, use a section of hollow steel tube the same size as your posts (thus, a slip fit in the holes), but shorter, possibly with a square of rubber on the top over a welded-on steel plate. If you absolutely cannot have a raised surface, get a 4"x4" by 2" piece of pressure treated post (actually 3.5"x 3.5").
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How to level out or grind down concrete basement floor? I had a french drain installed in my basement and the top of its cement sits around 1/8" to 1/4" of an inch higher then the rest of my basement floor. I need to somehow level this out so I can put flooring down. How would you recommend I do this? <Q> I'm surprised no one has mentioned this but based on the statement: <S> I had a french drain installed <S> it seems to me like if you paid someone (assumption here) to install a drain <S> and they left it in a state where it is going to cause a puddle to form before water is able to drain into it, that it should be the company's responsibility at this point. <S> At the very least, you should be contacting them to get their explanation as to why it was done that way before attempting to undo what they did. <A> From the description, I suggest renting a proper concrete grinder (bottom of the page) from your local rental shop or big box. <S> This will allow finer control and result in a flatter, smoother surface than if you attempted to use abrasive or diamond-bitted handheld power tools. <S> If you'd rather not go that far, an angle grinder with an appropriate disk would do the job. <S> You may need to skim the resulting surface to prep it for vinyl tile or other flooring sensitive to surface texture. <A> A big 7" angle grinder with a diamond cup bit would work nicely. <S> You can also get away with the 'masonry grinding' bit sold at big box stores. <S> You should try to get a dust shroud as well, as even a small amount of concrete grinding will send fine dust everywhere. <A> Plug the floor drain first.) <S> The one with the grooves is most applicable.
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If it's a small area around the drain, the lowest cost, least-fuss option is one of these grinding blocks (use with some water and you can mop the slurry up rather than deal with dust in the air.
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Connecting Washing Machine Outlet Box to copper I've done a search and nothing particularly relevant came up so... I'm in the process of moving the washer and dryer in our new house and trying to figure out how to mate the valves in the connection box to the copper lines. I have a box similar to this where the values are attached via a single shut off: http://www.lowes.com/pd_596141-138-38568___?productId=50163629&pl=1&Ntt=washer+box The ends are threaded, so I guess I just need to add a 1/2" to female threaded fitting like this? I don't currently have the part sitting in front of me, but I don't recall the male threads being turnable to screw into the fitting (I'll have to double check). Is there a trick to it, or do you screw it in and then sweat it? But that seems like a terrible idea given that its right near the plastic enclosure. <Q> You do not need any additional fittings. <S> You need to be careful though, there are o-rings and teflon seals inside the valve that can be damaged by the heat from soldering. <S> You need to take it apart by removing the large screws next to the handle, solder the included fittings, then reassemble. <S> See this schematic. <A> To answer the more general question of sweating threaded adaptors: Typical when sweating thread adaptors, you sweat the adaptor onto the pipe first, then complete the threaded connection, and lastly sweat the opposite joint at the other end. <S> In situations were <S> the opposite joint is too close to the threaded connection, you wrap a wet cloth around the threaded connection to help absorb the heat. <A> You might want to attach (sweat) a copper pipe union (picture below) to the female threaded fitting (pictured in your question). <S> The other end of the union would be sweated to the lines in the house. <S> This will allow you to screw the entire assembly together (and take it apart if necessary- like for replacing the valves). <S> Of course you will need two copper pipe unions and two female threaded fittings; one for the hot and one for the cold.
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If you look closely at the valve inlets, they are designed with a 1/2" male iron pipe thread (MPT) for a threaded connection, OR you can solder 1/2" copper pipe directly to the inside of the threaded fitting. It's made to accomodate either method . As mentioned by Jimmy and Tester, this box has both threaded and sweat connections.
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When cutting granite does a diamond blade need to be wet? I have to make an 1/8 inch cut on a 6" strip of granite with an angle grinder and diamond blade. I am not worried about dust for such a small cut, but I do not want to break or chip the granite. Is there a benefit to getting the blade wet? I have used a diamond blade in an angle grinder to make detailed cuts in ceramic tile without getting the blade wet. Everything worked fine. <Q> Whether you use water or not is entirely dependent on the blade, not the material (unless you are cutting something soluble in water). <S> Some binders used in diamond blades and bits take heat better than others, and the trade off is how the cut works (aggressive material removal, smooth finish, ability to cut heterogeneous materials, etc.) <S> Do not use water with a dry cut blade, and don't run a wet blade <S> dry - follow the recommendations from the manufacturer . <S> AKA, RTFM. <S> If you do it incorrectly, your blade will either not cut, wear out too fast, burn the material or the blade sintering, or just blow apart entirely. <S> And remember, lower speed and less pressure make for a slower, but safer, more precise cut with far less dust and wear on the tool and the blade. <A> You Do NOT need cooling water to cut granite. <S> I have seen videos of 3 foot thick slabs being cut into 2 inch thick slabs for counter tops. <S> Part of the high cost of granite is the cutting process. <S> A smooth finish adds more cost. <S> A rough finish done by blasting the surface with plasma torches also adds cost. <S> None of these processes involved cooling water. <S> Still, the cutting speed needs to be controlled so the cutter plate and shaft do not overheat. <S> Compared to most materials, granite is cut slowly. <S> If water is used, it is to clear out the sludge that builds up when cutting large pieces for counter tops or leveling plates. <A> I slab a lot of rock. <S> I use an oil for lubricant. <S> Blades last forever. <S> If you are using a sintered blade, the sparks are from the diamond bond being too soft for the job. <S> As it wear down, the steel blade sandwiched in between the bond material makes contact and sparks. <S> Smart Cut diamond blades website gives you a hell of a lot of info. <S> Nothing wrong with sparks if you don't mind chewing through blades. <S> Continuous rim blades should be used wet. <S> Slotted blades can be used dry but are a harsher cut.
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Wet or dry depends on the blade more than the material.
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Can I build a car-port on the side of my garage? I have a 2-car attached garage but three cars in the household. While I'm obviously aware I can just leave the third car in the driveway, it inconveniently blocks the cars in the garage and in the winter it gets covered in snow. I'd like to make a parking space on the side of my garage (most likely with pavers or concrete) but I'd also like to be able to put a roof over this space to keep the snow off. If I do get a concrete slab poured, I could have them place some 4x4 post bases (like this or this , I'd imagine) to use on the one side, and then I think I'd have to install some kind of ledger board on the side of the garage and then of course build a simple slanted roof between the ledger board on the garage and the board running across the 4x4s on the other side. Here's a picture of the side of the garage, and a terrible sketch of my 4x4 posts and my ledger boards (I'd probably use 3 posts, not 2, but the drawing was bad enough already...) I'm not sure exactly what that would entail or if it's a bad idea to try to put a ledger board on the side of my garage- would I need to remove some of the vinyl siding, is that wall structurally supporting enough to handle the ledger board, etc. If I couldn't put the ledger board directly on the garage itself, could I just put 4x4s on each side, slightly taller on the side near the garage? Obviously this would all need to be approved by my town with a building permit, but I wanted to start planning this out and seeing what problems I might run into and how I should design this thing. <Q> This is highly dubious since you mention snow. <S> The current garage sidewall is not high enough to support the high side of a shed roof over your proposed additional space, and the additional roof (if you just slap it on there anyway) will introduce additional snow-loading to the garage roof that it's probably not designed for. <S> You can get some massive snow drifts in that configuration. <S> Once again, given the mention of snow, that structure would probably better be a garage - aside from people blindly following trends from elsewhere- <S> that-it-does-not-snow-in, carports have never been all that popular in snow country because the car still gets snow on, around, and under it anytime the wind blows, so it's barely better than parking it out in the open. <A> I don't see why your idea would not work. <S> You will have several important considerations: water intrusion at ledger board location. <S> You will need to ensure that area is properly flashed and sealed, and try not to damage the waterproof membrane under your existing siding. <S> roof slope and design. <S> structure strength, not just to support its own weight and snow load but for wind too. <A> It's not clear to me that you have enough height to attach the carport as you propose. <S> Based on the garage door visible (probably 7' high) <S> I think it will be very tight once you take into account the slope of the carport roof (1:6 if using shingles) and the depth of the carport roof rafters. <S> But it may work. <S> Also make sure you plan for the additional snow load that will be imposed on the shared wall. <S> Depending on where you live that could be a considerable amount of additional weight. <S> It might be easier to have the carport free-standing, that way you don't have to worry about compromising the garage's structure and getting the ledger flashing right. <A> I think an easier solution is to not penetrate your current home. <S> You have a system that works, so don't break it. <S> I would: pour slab and use at least 8" posts for all four "corners. <S> have the height of the post go about 2 feet higher than gutter. <S> Run appropriate headers to carry roof load. <S> Guessing these will be a good 9 feet in the air. <S> the roof would be a simple half-truss solution. <S> Start off 2-3 feet higher on the left side (of your picture) and downslope away from your house. <S> This will aesthetically look good. <S> The left side can jut out to cover the gap plus a few inches to allow clearance for house and gutter. <S> The only downside is that your slab will probably need to be about a foot wider. <S> This should be cheaper overall and look better. <S> Also you will have a natural 2-3 feet on the left for storage without hurting the integrity of your house. <A> There is no reason to jeopardize the integrity of the existing garage wall. <S> I would check the building codes in your area, and considering the snow potential I would go with at least 2"x10" rafters. <S> You might give yourself some peace of mind and use 6"x6" corner posts just to make sure the roof will support the weight. <S> Sounds like a fun project and if done well, can add all the benefits of a regular garage without the additional costs.
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It appears to me that your project will certainly work, especially if you install the posts to support the house side of the carport. Depending on your locale, you need to ensure the roof is designed to shed rain/snow properly. You would do better to build a totally separate structure away from the current garage. Yes, you will need to remove the siding where your ledger attaches. You really ought to have an architect assess your design, he/she will have an engineer properly calculate foundation and structural member sizing for you.
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open kitchen - but why Maybe because i come from Eastern Europe, where we have separate rooms for kitchens but I really don't understand why open kitchens are so popular? Are they practical in any sense? My assumptions are that the furniture from the living room will be affected by all the smoke, vapors and smells from the kitchen. Can you tell me why I don't understand the open kitchen concept and why is it practical? Thank you so much. <Q> In the US the kitchen is a central focal point in a home. <S> In older homes with closed in kitchens <S> those in the kitchen feel isolated from anyone else in the house. <A> Proper ventilation (perhaps not common in Eastern Europe <S> ; at least in older buildings) deals with the "smoke, smells, and vapors" by capturing them and blowing them out of the house. <S> When many people had servants, including a cook, the kitchen was isolated from the living space more. <S> With the decline of servants, a kitchen where the person cooking was not isolated from the rest of the household <S> and/or guests became more popular. <S> In the opposite direction, many people normally congregated, socialized and ate in the kitchen in many older houses, while the "dining room" and "living room" were only used for formal occasions. <S> As people began to question why they had two rooms they rarely used, some of them bashed out the walls and made one large room that served two or three different functions. <A> There are two main reasons why the open floor plan is so so popular: <S> People always end up in the kitchen anyway, right? <S> This allows the cook to be in the kitchen puttering around and interact with guests. <S> It is great for parents of young children. <S> It allows the parent to be in the kitchen and still keep an eye on the little ones in the family room. <S> No more baby in a playpen or high chair in the kitchen while you make dinner. <S> [...] <S> But there is a third reason: knocking out walls creates space , or at least an illusion of space within the same square footage. <S> – An Argument Against the Open Floor Plan <S> justmewith.com <S> I found the above at, 11 Reasons Against an Open Kitchen Floor Plan ( oldhouseguy.com ), none of which with I agree.
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An open floor plan lets folks congregate in the kitchen and also socialize/communicate easily with others in the home. It is great for entertaining.
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How can I completely remove all traces of mastic from old concrete? My original aim was to end up with a, possibly stained, clear-coated cement floor. After removing old floor tiles, I rented a floor grinder which took care of most of the old mastic. There were still thin spots that remained, so I bought some product at HD that softened the spots for removal, but as others have said, made a friggin' nightmarish mess of it! Will the residue prevent sealers or other coatings from absorbing into the concrete floor? If so, would thinset even stick to these areas? I don't want the expense of tile, but I've about had it trying to clean up this tar-like mastic to clean and clear-coat this floor! Any suggestions? Thanks, Bill <Q> I had an entry way floor some 30 years ago that had old hard vinyl tile glued down in it with the blackish-brown type of adhesive. <S> I wanted to replace that tile with a ceramic floor tile <S> so I peeled out all of the old tile. <S> I then used a wide razor scraper to get most of the old adhesive scraped off. <S> After that I purchased a few gallons of aggressive paint stripper, opened every window in the house, shut off all gas appliances and pilot lights and poured out a layer of the stripper across the whole floor. <S> I let it sit for a suitable time (may have been about a half hour or so). <S> Then working some with a wire brush and metal dust pan as a scoop I took up all the goop off the floor. <S> After the floor fully dried the surface was the nicest clean concrete surface you could wish for. <A> Do you know what base the adhesive is? <S> I.E. latex, mineral spirits, lacquer? <S> you could try paint stripper, lacquer thinner, (be careful with flames or sparks), or something like Goo Gone, or Goof Off. <A> I used bean-e-doo from Franmar mastic remover. <S> The company was bought by "Bear". <S> It works like a charm and very easy to use. <S> It's also environment friendly as it is made out of soy bean (virtually no smell). <S> It costs about $35 a gallon. <S> The amount to use depends on the surface and the thickness of the mastic. <S> I hope that helps. <A> I had old tile adhesive on my concrete floor. <S> I used a wall paper steamer and a 4" floor razor and about 25 blades for a 50sq ft bathroom. <S> Got 95% of the adhesive up. <S> Not concerned with the remaining 5%. <S> I'm going to lay ceramic tiles.
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Finally using a bucket and a large sponge I washed up the whole area with a copious amount of hot water to remove all the stripper residue. I was able to put down the tile setting cement and had no problems with it adhering to the concrete.
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What gauge wire do I need for my dryer? I want to add a washer & dryer to my garage, but breaker box is on the wrong side of house. No matter which way I run the wire, its 110 feet of wire required. Will 8-3 with ground work? Or is the run too long and I need to have 6-3 with ground? <Q> 10/3 is FINE for the dryer. <S> 12/2 for the washer. <A> So you have arrived at the correct conclusion within your question to use 8/3 with ground. <A> I am going to assume you are in the US, and using an electrical dryer. <S> Then the calculation goes like this: Assuming you have an electrical dryer, typical power use might be anywhere from 1800 W to 5000 <S> W source . <S> But let's assume the dryer you have is right at the limit of your electrical circuit - <S> that is a 30 A, 240 V dedicated circuit. <S> I will compute the voltage and power drop resulting from using different gages of wire, assuming that current (which is high... more likely the current is somewhere between 8 or 22 A). <S> Resistance of 220 (round trip!) <S> feet of wire source and associated voltage drop and power loss (assuming 30 <S> A current): <S> AWG Ohms <S> Drop(V) <S> Power loss <S> 6 0.087 <S> 2.61 2.2% 8 <S> 0.138 <S> 4.14 <S> 3.5% 10 0.220 <S> 6.60 5.5% 12 <S> 0.349 <S> 10.47 8.7% <S> The voltage drop you will get is current times resistance (V = I x R), for example 30 x 0.087 ~ 2.61 V. The power drop goes as the square of the voltage drop, so if you lose 1% of voltage to the dryer, you lose 2% of power. <S> According to the National Electrical Code , you need to use 10 AWG or better to carry 30 A safely:: <S> But just because it's <S> code doesn't mean your dryer will be working well. <S> Do be careful about making sure that your wire "can breathe". <S> If you bury it under carpets etc, it will get MUCH hotter because the heat won't be able to get away. <S> To be safe, I would probably go with the 8 AWG wire and make sure all the power ends up drying clothes, not heating the wires.
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All that power going into heating the wire and not drying the clothes - that's probably not what you want. Typically a 220v/30 amp Dryer circuit would utilize 10/3 with ground. According to this voltage drop table , it looks like for 100' run you would want to up-size the wire to #8 copper, to maintain voltage drop less than 3%. Depending on whether you have an electrical dryer or a gas dryer, the answer will be different.
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How to keep bird away from leaving their droppings on the deck Recently, I keep finding the bird droppings on the deck. Are there any ways to keep bird from leaving their droppings on the deck? Besides, are there any good chemicals that can clean the bird droppings without affecting the deck paint? Thanks. <Q> I have great luck with a motion activated sprinkler <S> Something like this keeps the geese out of my pool, It should work for your deck also. <S> Cleaning the stains may take a strong deck cleaner but not knowing the type of paint I would hose it off and try a little dish soap with a scrub brush to clean it off. <A> Give the birds somewhere better to roost and poop. <S> Put up a clothesline or other string-type thing over a patch of ground that could benefit from fertilization. <S> The birds will roost on the string and poop on the ground, fertilizing it. <S> Now you have a clean deck and your soil is receiving a regular infusion of minerals, particularly phosphorous, which is otherwise hard to add to soils. <A> On my deck, bird poop tends to happen where the good tree branches for hanging out in are, particularly near the bird feeder. <S> So I'd start by looking up and asking "What's up there (or nearby) to make pooping right there popular?" <S> If I minded more, I'd start by moving the bird feeder. <S> If I still was being bothered, it might be time to remove a tree (we removed a formerly popular one for more practical reasons having to do with it wanting to crush the house, and that area of the deck has much less poop now.) <S> In practice I can cede the birds a certain portion of the deck, so I don't get overly concerned about it. <S> Apply liberally, brush if deposits have dried and are stubborn, then apply more.
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Di-Hydrogen Mon-Oxide is a perfectly good chemical for removing bird poop from the deck, and it's "safe as water."
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Plumbing and septic: bubbling and backing up My mother lives in a two bedroom trailer with two full bathrooms. It's got a septic tank, but the toilets bubble and back up anytime she uses the dishwasher, washing machine or runs water in the sinks or tubs. Worse, sewage backs up into the tubs and over fills the toilets. What could cause this? Could it be a blocked air vent for the plumbing, a clogged pipe, or a septic problem? <Q> Simple answer: <S> yes, it could be any and all of those. <S> In my experience, clogged main pipes is the most likely cause. <S> (See below for more detail.) <S> If you cannot use a motorized snake yourself to clean out the system, hire a professional. <S> There is also a chance the septic system needs to be serviced. <S> Recommendation Hire a professional plumber who can use a motorized drain snake ASAP. <S> We had a similar issue, neglected it for a year, and during a visit from the in-law, the toilet decided it was done and overflowed. <S> The HVAC system was also a victim (in-floor registers). <S> By waiting until two days after the overflow, we saved a few hundred dollars over an emergency call, but we could have saved more by addressing it quickly. <S> The individual who does the "snaking" should be able to snake the entire system, from <S> all clean-out locations (our system had multiple). <S> Also, if the system has vents which can be compromised (squirrels or other pests with nuts etc.), consider having those cleaned if the price isn't prohibitive. <S> The company who provided the service to us charged by the hour a much reduced rate after the first hour had elapsed. <S> If we had the option, I would have preferred this. <S> (In our case, the service personnel had two more calls to make after finishing our property after 5 pm. <S> I was told that if anything wasn't completely working properly, the servicer would return on their dime, and I wasn't about to keep someone from their family around the holidays.) <S> Update <S> I can now say from definitive personal experience: <S> hire a quality professional to minimally snake and clean the system - but preferably have them do an inspection as well. <S> A <S> Do it right, right away. <A> You almost certainly have a dead septic field, but start out by having a professional come out and "roto-rooter" i.e. clean out all your drain lines. <S> It's possible that there's tree-root invasion, but given that you're getting sewage backflow, more likely the tank outlet is clogged or that the leaching field is dead. <S> You should take a look at the ground where the field is. <S> Softness or sewage smell there will be an indicator of trouble. <A> The problem you are seeing could be several different things. <S> First, the line to the septic tank could be obstructed. <S> This happens with hair, toilet paper, poop, fats, fabric softener, etc. <S> which create gunk which is just a little too think to get encouraged down the pipe. <S> Because the flow is not clear to the septic tank, and because gasses cannot flow back easily to the vents in the trailer/house, one gets bubbles when flushing. <S> Because the water displaces gas in the pipe which has restricted flow. <S> Cure? <S> Snake the like to the septic tank. <S> If it is just getting restrictive, perhaps a "balloon" may help, where you access the line after the last connection in the trailer, and push the gunk out with pressurized tap water. <S> The balloon expands to seal the end of the pipe you are pushing from. <S> Second, the tank may need pumping. <S> Depending upon the size of the tank, and the household load (flow of water and solids), tanks fill at varying rates. <S> For one person, probably not a big deal. <S> But with several kids or teenagers, things will fill fast. <S> Cure? <S> Pump the tank. <S> Third, the leech field may be clogged with dead bacterial matter and other gunk. <S> This happens most frequently on a system that is being used over capacity, or has gone too long between pumping out. <S> Cure? <S> Most expensive situation, because the leech field may need replacement, or some kind of remediation. <S> What you can do is often dictated by the state health department, or sometimes the county or other local health department. <S> The balloon trick costs about $10, if one already has a garden hose. <S> I would try that first. <S> I would also look around the septic tank for water coming out of the ground, showing that the tank is spilling over. <S> This can happen because the downstream system is not working well. <S> I would start ruling things out upstream, which is for me the line from the house to the septic tank.
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Most likely, the line to the septic tank needs clearing.
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Damp concrete floor in bedroom Had water overflow into bedroom and closet. New laminate floor removed.Concrete floor has glue strips from another flooring that is sticky in someplaces. Will thoroughly clean with as little water as possible Q. When all cleaning is done and floor dries for a week, Can I seal the concrete and begin covering? I know the floor will not be completely dry in a week. I am thinking of painting the floor or trying the paper floor as water seems to be a problem 3rd time, no children. Is Dry Lock or Bone Dry best as Ihave serious allergies.Thanks <Q> Suggest you use a fan and dehumidifier during those high humidity days. <A> I wouldn't worry too much about the sticky, as long as it doesn't have any thickness to it. <S> It will hold the laminate underlay in place! <S> I don't see the need to paint the floor unless you're expecting further damp from underneath <S> and then I'd fit a polythene layer instead, in fact I'd fit it anyway. <S> Re the damp, it's risky to cover anything damp lest you get mould. <A> Heat and vent it as much as you can, for as long as you can. <S> I'd give it as long as it needs, plus a few days so that the residual damp can escape completely. <S> (Otherwise you can end up with all sorts of little problems) <S> I agree that you shouldn't need to paint the floor and it should dry out fine as long as it is given enough time to dry completely before it is recovered. <A> Yes a heater or dehumidifier should be used to speed things up. <S> Most laminate or wood floors installed on concrete used a cushion sheet that is also a vapor barrier. <S> But this is primarily for moisture coming from below. <S> If you are worried about a reoccurance of water overflow a different flooring choice is advised.
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At the very least, heat and vent it as much as you can for as long as you can and then maybe leave off the skirting boards for a while so any residual damp can at least escape to air. Had the same issue, used a sealant (couple of coats), then an underlayment (vapor barrier), which worked well on my laminate flooring.
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Wind from kitchen sink drainage pipe We live on a windy coast of North Sea. High wind is a norm here. One of the problems I face with the wind: it comes out from kitchen sink drainage pipe. If it is blowy outside, you can feel a draft coming from the drainage pipe. I think the problem is because the drainage pipe finishes outside and does not make a sealed connection: Because the drainage pipe is not sealed, the wind blows up the pipes and comes out from my sink drain. Making the kitchen colder (we have enough vents there already!) Is there anything can be done to prevent this draft? I'm thinking cover the drain hole (the one on the picture) with something, but could it not cause more problems? UPD: Pipes under kitchen sink look like this: Thin pipe on the first photo on the left is a waste from dishwasher. <Q> You don't have a trap seal, to prevent air from moving through the drain. <S> Only the dishwasher is draining through the trap, so there's no trap to prevent air from coming up the drain. <S> you'll have to fix the plumbing, so that both the sink and dishwasher use the trap. <S> Instead, the plumbing should look more like this... <S> Use a tailpiece like this, off the bottom of the sink. <S> This allows you to connect the dishwasher to the drain. <S> You can trim the end of the tailpiece, so that it fits into the space you have. <S> Connect one side of the trap to the end of the new tailpiece, and the other end to the drain pipe. <S> You'll also have to add a vent to the system. <S> Depending on where you live, air admittance valves (AAV) can be used. <S> Remove the sanitary tee connection from the drain. <S> Connect the dishwasher outlet to the sanitary tee, where it used to connect to the drain. <S> Connect the end of the trap (where the dishwasher used to connect), to the drain. <S> Basically, just swap these connections. <A> You could put a cover over the drain box <S> but when you do so it has to allow for free air flow <S> so the isolation afforded by that air gap drain box still functions properly. <S> If I was making the cover it would have a baffle design with a double wall construction. <S> See figure below: <S> The inner wall of the baffle cover would sit on the ground or maybe even set below grade. <S> The outer shell would not come all the way down. <S> The picture is somewhat conceptual and does not attempt to show how the two parts of the cover fasten together. <S> Before committing to an elaborate construction project you could prototype the design to determine how effective the concept is. <S> This could be done using heavy corrugated cardboard carton material. <S> You easily cut the cardboard with a sharp utility knife and a straight edge. <S> The pieces can then be joined together with hot melt glue. <S> (Hot melt glue sticks to the brown corrugated cardboard amazingly well). <S> Hold your prototype in place using some bricks to keep the howling wind from blowing it away. <A> Most drains (in the US) <S> vent thru a vertical pipe which prevents sewer gas from accumulating in the structure (home,apartment,etc)Part of that system should include a trap (usually a J or S shaped piece of pipe which holds a small quantity of water which prevent air or gasses from passing back into the room from the sink or toilet. <S> If that trap was not included air ("wind") might be noticed. <S> Check for presense or lack of a trap. <A> While I agree that this was assembled backwards <S> I think the apparent lack of a vent is acceptable here. <S> It looks like it basically goes through the wall and then into that box outside--so long as it's close enough to the sink that would suffice for venting. <A> All you need is a trap on both paths like the one you have coming from the dishwasher/washing machine <S> The trap fills with water and stops draughts although in excessively windy conditions its still possible for very strong winds to force their way through a water trap but normally there wont be enough pressure <S> I wouldn't personally suggest swapping the fittings over personally as theyre pretty cheap, so I would say its better to get a second trap <S> or I bend and fit it between the sink and the outside pipe removing it from the other pipe <S> will make it more likely that food waste that goes down the plug hole could end up in the draining pipe from the appliance and risk causing a blockage if there isn't a filter, and <S> even if there is a filter it could could clog the filter up <A> An easy test would be to cut a panel out of some junk styrofoam, that would go under the black grate, and block up but not tightly seal, the tub that the white pipes drop into. <S> It's free and easy to work with, and if such a block cuts down on the wind problem, you can then make something more permanent and better looking.
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After looking more at the plumbing, you might not need additional fittings (other than for venting).
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Are hairline cracks in basement concrete floor a problem - no water coming in I notice quite a few hairline crack in my basement concrete floor. I've lived here for 14 years and no water has come up through the cracks. The townhouse was built in 1999 (so it is not a new pour). I don't know if the cracks have been getting worse or not; I just didn't notice them before, but maybe they were always there. Is this something I should get fixed (how)? Or is it possible that they won't get any worse and water is unlikely to ever come in, if it has not come in yet. <Q> Concrete slabs crack. <S> Period. <S> For this reason, "control joints" are often cut or tooled into slabs where aesthetics are a concern. <S> They encourage cracks to occur along straight lines where they create less of a visual blemish and can better be accommodated by expansion joints in rigid flooring. <A> Hairline cracks are not a problem. <S> If they get to 1/4" at any point, then you probably need to have an engineer give it a look over. <S> You could probably call your city/county inspection office to see if radon gas is problematic in your area. <A> There is nothing you can do except install a sump pump. <S> Don't believe the "crack repair" con artists. <S> Oh, wait you could jack the house up, bed the foundation with compacted gravel, use real foundation walls and pour a proper 6" foundation. <S> Just kidding.
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In your case, it's not likely a concern. Welcome to crap construction in the 21st century, where nobody gets basements, just footings, and those that do get basements get 4" slabs on sand often above the frost line. However, not sure if radon gas is a problem in your area, but cracks in the basement will let radon gas seep in, so it would be worth your time and the money to purchase a radon gas detector. Whether water comes in is a function of the water table in your area and whether you have proper drainage on your property.
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Old mortise lock bolted from inside I have a situation in my 90 year old house with the bathroom door. Last night my bathroom door was closed and somehow bolted locked from inside and I can't get into it or unlock it. I believe this is a mortise lock ( like this ), but I have no keyhole on the outside, it's just door under the knob. The bolt goes in an estimated 1.5-2 cm into the door frame. There is a small window to the bathroom, but it's 10 feet up from the ground outside and I would be going in head first about 5 feet to the tub. The hinges are on the inside of the door and the door swings into the bathroom. Any ideas on how to unlock the door or get inside? Or even an idea of how this could have even happened would be nice to know? <Q> Modern mortise locksets for bathrooms usually have a deadbolt release on the outside, opposite the deadbolt knob (or thumbturn) in the inside. <S> The release is intended to be operated using a coin or screwdriver. <S> Your lockset presumably lacks this external release feature. <S> However it is likely that the lock body itself has openings on both sides for the deadbolt. <A> There are contraptions that can unlock something like that by going under the door, but they are complicated and difficult to operate. <S> You would be spending days trying to figure out how to get it to work. <S> By far your easiest option will be to go in the window. <A> If the lockset in your bathroom is like the ones in the example picture, you should be able to remove the metal coverplate on the outside. <S> There should be 4 slotted screws holding it on. <S> From there, you should have access to the lock itself. <S> There should be a hole in the door that allows you to open the door from the outside. <S> It would be difficult to know what the lock is actually like without an exact match. <S> If the door has a regular keyhole, you can buy a skeleton key from the hardware store, which will work most of the time. <S> If it is a thumbturn latch on the other side, then there may be a specialty key that needs to be used. <S> They typically have a square arbor. <S> You may be able to turn that with a small pair of pliers.
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So, in the worst case, you could remove the external lever and cover-plate and then cut a hole through the wood of the door at the position of the deadbolt knob to gain access to the deadbolt shaft.
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Mount horizontal 6" metal exhaust pipe to wall economically? I'm trying to add more ventilation to the back room of my garage. The only available outside air exit location is 25' horizontally along the front room of the garage's wall. I have 6" 30ga sheet metal vent pipe like this for the ducting: How would I go about securing it to the wall? All of the hangers and clamps I've seen are either nuts expensive or designed to support the pipe from above (ceiling), not from the wall. I can't support it from the ceiling as it would interfere with the garage door mechanism. <Q> enter link description here <S> http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/productImages/300/0f/0f824744-2554-4da0-91c2-cad95ee94416_300.jpg <A> If you don't care how it looks, just put some screw eyes in the wall above where you want the duct work to be, and loop some wire around the duct work and attach both ends to the screw eye. <S> Quick and easy. <S> Scott <A> I like PVC strap tape. <S> You can hang it about anywhere with about anything. <S> It doesn't kink up like metal, and it isn't sharp.
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A cheap option, is hanger strap. It's available in both metal and plastic, and in various sizes. As an aside comment, if there is a significant difference in temperatures between the air going through the duct work and the air outside, you may want to consider insulating the duct work to prevent condensation and possible mold/mildew buildup.
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Service box with no neutral bar I'm trying to add a 30amp, 110V RV connection box to my house but the service box has no neutral bar, what do I do with the white neutral wire? This is a picture of the main panel by the meter. This is a picture of the garage sub panel where I will be adding the RV service box. <Q> It appears as though you have four slots available at the garage panel on the left side of the panel in your picture and one in the upper right. <S> The neutral bar is on the bottom of your picture with the white wires. <S> What seems to be the problem? <A> You have a neutral bar. <S> You don't have a ground bar. <S> Your panels look exactly like mine, which feed all EMT metallic conduit, and the conduit is the ground path. <S> Care for it kindly, fix gaps immediately. <S> Your sub-panel has a neutral bar which is insulated from the panel box aka ground, which is required in a sub-panel. <S> Beware, on an isolated neutral bar, there are often special screws, usually green, which screw through the neutral bar to bond it to the case (ground). <S> You should take care that there are none of those on a sub-panel; on a main panel I would "belt and suspenders" that by also adding a bonding strap. <A> I see both a neutral bar and a ground bar strapped together with jumpers. <S> I also see the required ground wire. <S> You need a dedicated 2 pole breaker to connect a sub-panel to the main. <S> Its amp rating should not exceed 50% of the main breaker rating. <S> You can do what you want as long as you run another white neutral wire and ground wire back to the main panel. <S> The breakers in any sub-feed panel cannot exceed the rating of the sub-feed panel main breaker. <S> NOTE:
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Your main panel has a neutral bar which appears to be all-metal and by nature bonded to the panel box (which is ground), which is both allowed and required in a main panel. If the main panel does not have any spare breaker slots, you will have to shift the wires to any 240vac device to your new sub-feed panel, or buy a whole new panel . There is nothing wrong with this installation other than the panel having very few breaker slots.
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When is it OK to use stranded wires in fixed installation? I have heard many times that fixed installation requires single core wires while the flexible stranded wires are designed for movable devices like vacuum cleaners and TVs. I know that a stranded wire has two primary disadvantages compared to a solid core wire: It is more prone to oxidation (due to larger surface area for the same cross-section area), making it inferior for permanent installation. It is thicker for the same cross-section area. However recently I saw in Spain that professional electricians were installing stranded 240 V wires in a commercial building. This made me wonder if what I had heard before was outdated or I might be missing something. <Q> All wire sizes are available in stranded, however not all cabling styles are made with stranded wire (i.e. NM/Romex). <S> Any sort of flexible cordage is only stranded. <S> For single-wire 10-12-14 gauge THHN/THWN as is widely used in commercial work, they sell both kinds right next to each other - watch out what you buy. <S> I use exclusively stranded. <S> Larger wiring sizes are not available in solid, because they are impossible to bend. <S> You can use stranded wire anytime you can get it, and your terminations are listed for stranded wire. <S> For instance a backstab (push-in) connector might be listed for ”14 AWG solid" in which case they mean "not stranded". <A> Larger wiring is stranded, but uses thicker strands then flexible appliance leads small (lesser cross-sectional area and current-carrying capacity) <S> E.g. as used in lighting circuits. <S> large (greater cross-sectional area and current-carrying capacity) <S> E.g. as used in circuits to electrical outlets, electric ovens etc. <S> The above are both "twin & earth" wiring for fixed installation (in the wall) as used in the UK. <S> Products and regulations in your locale may vary. <S> Note that these differ from typical stranded wires used in appliance leads. <S> Those typically use much finer strands. <A> First off wires can be broadly divided into (at least) four categories. <S> Solid core: One single wire, commonly used at smaller sizes for fixed wiring) "stranded": <S> Split into a relatively small number of coarse strands, commonly used for larger fixed wiring cables, and/or for wiring that will be pulled into conduits. <S> "Flexible": split into smaller strands, used for appliance cords and such. <S> "extra flexible": split into strands so small you can't really see them, used in specialist applications like test leads. <S> The biggest downside of higher strand counts is cost, it costs more to draw out the wire into finer strands and then to combine those strands back together into a core. <S> Secondly regulations and/or accepted standards* for fixed-wiring in bulidings are something that varies a lot. <S> Even within the normally pro-harmonisation EU there is a lot of variation. <S> For smaller sized cables solid conductors are sufficiently flexible and are cheaper to make so they are what gets made. <S> Some countries are very prescriptive about what types of cable can be used in fixed-wiring. <S> Others leave more up to the judgement of the installer. <S> Ultimate <S> a question of what cables you can/should use cannot be answered outside the context of a country. <S> It can also depend on what device you are terminating to, some types of connection are not suitable for fine-stranded conductors. <S> * Sometimes the law doesn't specifically mandate a particular standard, but nevertheless there is an accepted standard that electricians normally work to.
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"stranded" conductors are commonly used in fixed-wiring, but normally only at larger sizes or where individual conductors are pulled into conduits.
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How should I end this wiring? I am doing a minor reno in a new house. I took out a wall and in it was two strands of 12-2 that went to one outlet. That wiring will not be used anymore, I don't want to splice into them or run them to a different location. I can not tell how the wires run back to the box so I can't pull them out so I want to hide then in the floor. Can I just cap it with some wire screws? Or should I put a box around it? The box is less favorable because I would have to cut a hole in the sub floor to hide it. But is that the safer option? ThanksJ <Q> Junctions and terminations must be in a box, and the box must be accessible. <S> You can't bury it under a floor. <S> Unless you have an idea where the source is, you'll need to treat the wires as though they're live. <A> There are splices rated for being closed up behind a wall without a junction box. <S> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Tyco-Electronics-Romex-Splice-Kit-2-Wire-1-Clam-CPGI-1116377-2/202204326 <A> Sometimes (when the breaker is off) I have used a toner/tracer to follow a wire. <S> The code is not concerned about totally disconnected wires. <S> They are about as interesting to the NEC as the nails that hold the wood together. <S> Then I would cap both ends with wire nuts just to complete the job. <S> Maybe even wrap each end (with the nuts) with electrical tape to show it is inactive.
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Once you trace the wires (I would use first a voltmeter to figure out which breaker shuts it off) then you will want to disconnect the other end, even if it is coming from another outlet.
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Does it cost more to run a refrigerator on an extension cord? My new mini refrigerator is plugged into a 50 ft extension cord that is plugged into my house.Does it cost more to run because of the cord? <Q> Yes, it does cost you money using the extension cord. <S> Grabbing a random number out of the air, let's say the fridge draws 2 amperes. <S> If you have a 50 ft. 16 AWG cord, that's 1.996 watts. <S> If the cord was 50 ft. 14 AWG, that'd be 1.256 watts. <S> Using the energy star standard of $0.12 per KWh. <S> The 16 AWG cord costs you $0.00023952 per hour, while the 14 AWG cord would cost $0.00015072 per hour. <S> There's also the problem that the manufacturer's documentation likely tells you not to use an extension cord. <S> NOTES: <S> - I have no idea how much current a mini fridge draws, so I simply grabbed a number out of the air. <S> If somebody wants to comment with a realistic number, I'll rerun the calculations. <S> Using @CarlWitthoft's calculation of 0.7 amperes, and resistance values from NEC chapter 9 table 8. <S> The cost can be figured as follows. <S> 18 AWG cord VD = <S> Length x 2 x current x ohms per foot VD <S> = 50' x 2 x 0.7 <S> A x 0.00795 ohms <S> VD = 100 x 0.7 <S> A x 0.00795 ohms VD = <S> 70 x 0.00795 <S> ohms <S> VD = <S> 0.5565 volts Watts = <S> Volts <S> x Amperes <S> W = <S> 0.5565 <S> V x 0.7 <S> A W <S> = 0.38955 watts kW = <S> 0.00038955 <S> Cost = <S> kW x $/kW <S> Cost = <S> 0.00038955 x $0.12 <S> Cost = <S> $0.000046746 16 AWG cord VD = <S> 70 <S> x 0.00499 ohms <S> VD = <S> 0.3493 volts <S> W = <S> 0.3493 <S> V x 0.7 <S> A kW = <S> 0.00024451 <S> Cost = 0.0002445 <S> kW x $0.12 <S> Cost = <S> $0.0000293412 14 AWG cord VD = <S> 70 <S> x 0.00314 <S> ohms <S> VD = <S> 0.2198 volts <S> W = <S> 0.2198 <S> V x 0.7 <S> A kW = <S> 0.00015386 <S> Cost = <S> 0.00015386 <S> kW x $0.12 <S> Cost = <S> $0.0000184632 <S> So for every hour the fridge is actually running, you'll pay the above amount extra because of the cord. <S> If you're using the 18 AWG cord, and the fridge runs constantly for a year. <S> The power lost to the cord would only cost about $0.40. <S> $0.000046746 x 24 hours = <S> $0.001121904 <S> $0.001121904 <S> x 365 days = <S> $0.40949496 <S> So basically, reading this ridiculous answer has likely cost you more than the cord will. <A> Pulling some stats from advertised products: Gauge Conductors: 16/3 SJO Cord Length: 50 ft. <S> Color: <S> Black Watts: 1625 <S> watts OSHA <S> Listed: <S> Yes <S> Plug Type: <S> Grounded Number of Outlets: 1 <S> Maximum Amperage: 13 amps <S> AWG rating: 4.016 ohms/1000 <S> ft , or <S> 0.4016 ohms for your 50-footer, round trip. <S> Using I^2R, which isn't exactly correct for AC due to phase shifting <S> , you'd get <S> 0.4016 watts per amp drawn. <S> Looking at ratings page found somewhere: <S> Compact refrigerators, typically ranging from 1.7 to 4.4 cubic feet, receive an Energy Star rating when they consume no more than 239.42 kilowatt-hours per year for manual defrost versions, or up to 318.4 kWH/year for units with partial automatic defrost. <S> So let's pick a conservative 365 kW-h/yr because that's a nice clean 1 kW-h/day :-), and at a conservative (IMHO) 50% duty cycle <S> that's 1kWh/(24/2) <S> = <S> 83.3 watts when running. <S> 83 watts --> roughly 0.7 amps @ 120 V. <S> All of which means I'd cut Tester101's conclusions significantly <S> both because I think he overestimated the extension cord's power loss and because I grabbed a different estimate of the power drawn by the fridge. <S> YMMV <A> No. <S> It's a poor way to hook up a permanent load, but it does not waste anything like "as much power as the fridge uses" - it might cost you in life of the fridge, due to low voltage when the compressor is starting making it fail sooner than it should - but that would depend in part on the gauge (size) of the wire in the cord. <A> Keep the measuring device in the same location for both of the comparison measurements. <S> One device you could consider is the Killawatt meter that can be found online or at many hardware stores. <S> It can show voltage, current and kilowatts consumed.
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The very best way to answer your question is to purchase an energy measuring device and compare power consumption at the house end with the refrigerator connected directly at the house and then connect the refrigerator at the end of the long cord.
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How to fix toilet with multiple leaks Here is the inside of our toilet tank: Not sure what that "yellow thing" on the top is, but I believe that's the main culprit to focus on. For now, I'll call it the yellow thing . When the water supply is running full bore, water seems to be leaking out of the top of that yellow thing, where the "cap" (or whatever it is) is. This causes the toilet to sound like its "running continuously", or refilling continuously. Meaning, its never quiet and just constantly makes that sound that a toilet makes when its tank is refilling with water. So a few days ago I shut off that water supply line, just because the running noise was driving us crazy and I didn't really have any time to look into the issue. Despite the fact that I shut the water supply off, we've still been able to use the toilet in those last few days! Not sure if that's normal, but is not what I was expecting! However, as you can see, the water line is pretty low. So perhaps we just haven't flushed it enough times (since it's been turned off) to fully drain it. But now that the water supply line is shut off, and the water in the tank is low, the bottom of that yellow thing drips constantly and is driving us crazy. Clearly we have at least 1 leak here. I'm worried that we have a leak not only in that yellow thing (again, whatever it is) but perhaps also in our water supply line valve. How else would water be constantly dripping into the tank when the supply line is shut off? Either way, any ideas as to what is going on here and how to fix our toilet? The desired end result is normal toilet functioning, with the supply line turned off and with it not "running continuously". Thanks in advance! <Q> If you believe you have the water shut off, and you still have a drip, then the shutoff valve is corroded enough to jam before it is fully off. <S> The flush valve is pretty obviously malfunctioning. <S> Replace both of these <S> and you should be back to normal. <S> Good luck! <A> The yellow thing is the fill valve. <S> It is the thing the water actually enters the tank through. <S> There are few different ways they can work but in your example the large yellow body probably houses a float that closes the valve once the water level reaches the appropriate height. <S> The large, black, vertical tube is the overflow tube and at its base is flap. <S> The small black tube from the fill valve to the overflow tube is to direct little bit of water into the bowl and ensure it is complete filled. <S> This as a diagram of a toilet with the 'old' style float, but the principle is pretty much same. <S> MIT.edu <S> Your toilet could be running constantly for a number of reasons. <S> 1) <S> The float needs adjustment. <S> The float could be out of adjustment and now 'full' <S> is above the overflow tub. <S> The float never quite gets to the level it needs to <S> so the water keeps filling but it spill over the top of tube and into the bowl. <S> 2) <S> The flap is old, stiff and maybe cracked. <S> This allows water past the flap and into the bowl. <S> The valve opens to fill the toilet. <S> 3) Sediment from the water line has managed to lodge itself in the valve, always holding it open a tiny bit. <S> This can eventually free itself though use but is hard to clean out without taking the thing apart. <S> I had this happen for a while on a house after I shut the water supply off, drained the house and turned it back on. <S> Finally. <S> If your toilet is still running even with the supply shut off. <S> The supply shutoff may be damaged. <S> I hate to ask the obvious but did you turn it the right way? <S> It may have not been opened all the way to begin with, and you just opened it all the way. <S> But a fill valve kit and shutoff valve is not terrible expensive and a novice should be able to do it in an hour to hour and half. <S> You might need to get a good wrench or pipe wrench, and be able to turn off the water to your house. <S> Plus you get the experience of doing some basic DIY and save the cost of a plumber's hour price. <A> Is your toilet stool broken? <S> There seems to be a serious crack as indicated in this snip: <S> If this is a crack as it appears it may be wise to replace the toilet seat as well. <S> Cracks in the toilet seat can lead to water leakage down under the toilet and into the building structure below. <S> This is something to be concerned about as wet wood invites mold and rotting.
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Sounds like you need to replace the flush valve and possibly the shut off valve.
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How do I do a straight cut of all 4 legs of a metal chair? I need to cut the legs of my chair a bit because it is too high for me. It would not have been a problem but all legs need to be of the same length so I am looking for straight accurate cuts at the same distance from the end. I was trying to find out how to do it without much luck. Any ideas? <Q> Woodworker's solution: put chair on flat surface. <S> Put shims under feet as needed to level and stabilize it. <S> Using a pencil on top of a suitable scrap of wood, mark all sides of all four legs at the same height above the table. <S> Cut to these lines. <S> If necessary, fine-tune with sandpaper, but generally this will be close enough that flexibility in the materials will do the rest. <A> One idea that comes to mind is to get an appropriately sized length and width of aluminum bar, cut it to the size you need, and clamp it into the fence screw in a circular saw with an appropriate blade. <S> Angle the circular saw so that it makes a level cut (a torpedo level would be useful), and place the end of the aluminum bar against the seat bottom. <A> Make your mark (3/4 length from seat bottom). <S> Then measure the back two legs and multiply the their length by 3/4 (use the same pre-chosen fraction as used for the front legs). <S> Again make your mark. <S> Double check your work by setting the chair up-right and measuring from the floor straight up (vertically); to the marks on the legs. <S> You're not measuring 1/4 the length of the leg, but instead the height of the marks from the floor. <S> They should all be the same. <S> The legs will be even if you cut them accurately. <S> Edit- <S> another possible answer is to use a level to mark the legs. <S> Make all of the marks level.
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Supposing that you have a level chair now, the first thing to do is measure the front legs (from the seat bottom to the tip); multipy the length by 3/4 (or whatever fraction you desire).
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Is it OK to use motor oil as bar oil in a chainsaw? Someone told me that you can use motor oil in your chainsaw instead of bar oil. Is this a good idea? Will it cause problems over time? <Q> It might be OK for a bit <S> but I probably wouldn't do it. <S> You could look up your owner's manual to see if they say anything. <S> If you must use the chainsaw and have nothing else on hand, surely motor oil is better than nothing. <S> I think bar oil is stickier than regular motor oil to prevent splattering as much. <S> FWIW <S> I like to buy the "biodegradable" chain oil, since it invariably ends up all over the place. <A> its the environment and your lungs. <S> engine oils usually have one or two zinc thiophosphate compounds added into them. <S> its not good for you to breathe this in in aerosol form (like grinding galvanized metal), but then again, its not good to breathe it in in after combusting in an older engine that burns oil. <S> the two stroke oil your saw uses in the fuel mix doesn't have this additive <A> You will spray motor oil everywhere , and you will run out of oil quickly, and then burn up the bar and chain. <S> That being said, I sometimes use a mix of bar and gear oil or motor oil in winter, when it's so cold outside that the bar oil won't flow quickly enough. <S> On such days, I would only mix about 1 part motor oil with 10 parts bar oil (or 1 part gear oil with 5 parts bar oil). <S> The saw will warm up eventually and the oil will flow faster, so I only do that for the first tank of oil. <A> I have a Ryobi 40v electric, which isn't a "real" chainsaw (it has a much slower chain speed), but 30w works just fine. <S> I haven't had any splatter or mess, and it's cheap. <S> My chain doesn't seem to be stretching more than expected. <S> I mention it because more and more homeowner types will be moving to the new breed of electrics as they continue to improve. <S> I figure if it's suitable for engine parts moving at many times the speed and force of a saw chain, it's good enough for a saw chain. <S> Those working in biologically sensitive situations actually use vegetable oil with decent results. <S> The issue is fling. <S> Actual bar oil is in the neighborhood of 140w. <A> My concern with used motor oil would be that used motor oil has all kinds of contaminants from the crankcase that would be just terrible for your lungs (oil mist) and the environment. <S> Nasty things like lead from the bearings, chromium, etc. <S> No one in their right mind would want to dissolve that toxic soup into a mist they're going to toss into the air around them. <A> I suppose it depends on your definition of OK. <S> Will the saw explode the second you run it? <S> No, <S> but if your unit is under warranty then the manufacture sure will deny any warranty claim if they can determine that the wrong oil was used. <S> All motor oil is not equal either as it comes in varying viscosities and types. <S> Sticking with "bar oil" will ensure you are using a product designed specifically for this purpose. <S> Likewise you should ensure you mix the appropriate type of oil with your gasoline or just buy the pre-mixed stuff and not worry about it. <A> I have never had a problem with running used oil in my saws. <S> I have Stihls and Huskies. <S> Just make sure you filter the used oil to get out any kind of foreign debris. <A> I used the 50 w motor oil mixed with bar oil and it has been working better than plain bar oil I mixed it 30percent motor oil and 70 percent bar oil <S> and I haven't had any problems with the pump <S> and it seems to lube the chain better <A> I use 5w 30 motor oil in both my Stihl ms 291 and husky 460. <S> Works like a gem. <S> I haven't had to do anything to either saw maintenance wise. <S> Both saws are 2+ years old and used multiple times a week. <A> I have a high-end Sears electric chain saw that is about ten years old. <S> The quality of the saw seems unattainable today, and was recommended by a Stihl dealer when I bought it. <S> I have used drain oil from my antique cars, exclusively in the saw, with no ill affects. <S> Tends to be 30wt. <S> or 20W50 and have about 1000 miles on it when drained.
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you shouldn't run anything but bar oil on a chainsaw bar, but not because of the saw (even though it sticks better to the bar and lubricates the chain better).
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What tool should I use to unscrew a hard-to-access hexagonal screw? I recently bought a place which came with the appliances, one of them being a dishwasher. I'd like to extract the dishwasher from its compartment. From what it seems, the only thing preventing me to do that is a pair of screws legs that lift-up the dishwasher. Those screw legs have a hexagonal head but the area to access them is very narrow. Here is a picture (of the side which has the more room. I couldn't even take a picture of the other side as there is no way to have direct visibility over the screw head): The screw is really small. I'd say the head's diameter is about 4 mm. I suppose, I'd a need a tool with a head like that: (source: alicdn.com ) But the only one I have is shaped like a screwdriver and is too tall to fit in the available space. I tried to look online on various sites (Home Depot and alike) but I don't even know which tool I'm looking for, let alone the name for it. What tool can I use for that job ? <Q> Those are levelling legs. <S> Dishwashers are either held in via screws on top of the dishwasher that attach to countertop above, or that screw the side (look roughly 1/3rd down just inside the DW door) of the dishwasher to the surrounding cabinet. <A> Don't worry about the head of the screw. <S> Just grab the threads near the foot with a pair of pliers (under the bracket that's in the way). <S> You could even just grab onto the foot itself but be careful not to scratch the floor if this area will be visible with the new unit. <S> If regular pliers are too thick, use a pair of needle nose or even some bent needle nose <A> These are meant to slide (with some effort), so you should not need to take them out. <S> In fact you should leave them in and with some hired muscle pull the dishwasher out. <S> You would only need the tool (a metric hex-head, sometimes called an allen-head) to adjust the leveling of the dishwasher. <S> Leveling after install and with age is all they are normally used for. <S> If you have problems reaching them there are tools called 'ratcheting' sockets that are designed for tight spaces. <S> Look online under that name and find one that match's the size of extender you show in a lower picture. <S> You wiggle your hand to make the ratchet mechanism work and it will turn the extender you have plugged in. <S> You do not need to buy ones with built-in magnets. <S> I bet every car mechanic has a set of these. <A> If not, then use the previous suggestion of pliers or vice-grips near the floor.
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A ratchet socket wrench might be what you're looking for if your screwdriver type socket wrench is too tall:
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Post to beam connections I was told that I could find some angle brackets to secure the post to the beam. However, I'm finding nothing that doesn't require me to remove the set beam and start over. What is code? Is this going to be a custom / metal shop deal at this point? I'm fine with a black angle bracket that I can paint to match other hardware in this area of the house. Thoughts? <Q> Plenty of 1950s/60s gluelam post and beam that are attached with a straight steel heavy strap going from the post to the beam, with bolts through to one on the other side. <S> No need for an angle-bracket, per se. <S> They could also be lag bolted in, but through-bolting with machine bolts and nuts is what I've seen on those buildings. <S> Then again, a stock nailplate truss connector would probably also work (if you need anything - might depend on your earthquake exposure, but then you get back to "what did the engineer specify?") <A> The question is vague, but here are my "thoughts": <S> In all my years of remodeling, never did we use metal brackets in cases like this. <S> I've opened many dozens of rooms with larger beams than were originally built into the home, and we always simply fastened the beams in place with nails. <S> Toenail into the king and trimmer studs and call it good. <S> The beam isn't going anywhere. <S> The only way it could is if the supporting framing somehow shifted. <S> If your studs are also fastened in place, there's no concern. <S> You may want to chisel out a channel for them, though, so they don't hold out the drywall and cause a bulge. <A> We don't toenail beams to posts anymore. <S> We've learned that wind (you say you live in a tornado area) and seismic will destroy a toenailed connection. <S> The Code does not give strength (resistance) values for toenails. <S> There are several types/designs for this application. <S> I'd go to Simpson Strong-Tie website: www.strongtie.com or local lumberyard and try: <S> LCE4 for 4x and 6x posts, orACE4 (similar), or My favorite <S> and it's decorative: <S> APL4 and comes in black. <S> (There are larger versions, but this will work on your columns.) <S> In any event, I strongly recommend a bracket. <S> That's an important connection in your house. <S> Don't rely on "toenails".
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If you really want to bracket them in place, any old metal bar or strap will do.
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Can one use large-diameter rigid plastic pipe for HVAC ducting slash why is this never done? Lots of buildings have rigid metal ducts. And lots of buildings have (much-maligned) plastic flex ducts. But why do rigid plastic ducts not seem to be a thing in North American construction? Such ducting would seem to solve a lot of problems: Like flex duct, it would be cheap and fast and easy to install, but give better static pressure due to its smooth walls like metal ducting. Whatever plastic they make flex duct out of seems temperature-resistant enough; why not make rigid plastic duct segments out of the same material, with it being field-assembled like PVC or ABS pipes? Is there any reason why you couldn't use sufficiently large diameter rigid ABS or polyethylene pipes for ductwork if you wanted? These are both relatively temperature-resistant plastics (176f and 221f, respectively) and would seem to be especially well-suited for carrying the output from heat pumps where the maximum output temperature is much lower than what a gas furnace can do. <Q> 1) cost. <S> plastic is way more than steel 2) weight. <S> so much heavier per unit volume 3) thermal expansion and contraction, deformation, etc. <S> 4) <S> it is used in lab environments for fume extraction, and in exhaust for high efficiency gas appliance exhaust (for its resistance to corrosion from the combustion gases) <S> 5) <S> the fire code forbids it. <S> imagine a flamethrower coming out of your vents as a small spark is fanned to superheated air as the forced air fans the flames from the burning plastic. <A> Actually I think if you research high velocity A/C systems they use schedule 20 or 30 PVC for supply to 2 or 3 inch ports. <S> The expense is probably much higher than regular HVAC methods. <S> Every site I found wanted my information to provide a quote which means it is expensive. <S> They advertise they install these systems in historic homes and buildings since they are not as noticeable as normal HVAC. <S> Happy day! <A> Rigid PVC or ABS ducting is actually becoming popular is Europe although it's used for smaller diameter ducting jobs, matched to 150mm or 200mm inline mixed flow fans usually. <S> Because or the narrow spaces between apartment and townhouse floors this square PVC duct is commonly used. <S> Google search shows plenty of options: https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#safe=off&q=rigid+flat+ventilation+duct <S> Couldn't find much in the way of an actual installation, but this shows how it's assembled: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx3zTf7CFck <A> pvc is self extinguishing but can release toxic fumes if burning,ignition temp would be fairly high compared to many plastics. <S> For mainly AC use here in fla I would use it if it was not expensive,most electrical insulation is pvc
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you also cannot use rigid plastic ducting for interior air distribution for fire spread reasons.
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short to earth 120 v ac breaker If a hot wire is shorted to earth i.e. the hot 120 v ac wire that comes out of a Ex. 20 amp breaker is directly connected (short) to a grounding rod, why wont the breaker trip. <Q> why wont the breaker trip. <S> Firstly, remember that a 20A breaker won't be OK at 19.9999 Amps and suddenly trip at 20.0001 Amps. <S> A 20A breaker might pass 30A¹ for several minutes¹ (or more). <S> It is mainly designed to protect wiring in the walls that slowly heats up due to overcurrent. <S> Secondly, soil/dirt is not a great conductor, especially when dry. <S> It may have a high resistance that limits the fault-current. <S> Copper has conductivity 58,500 mS/m, Aluminium 36,900 <S> mS/ <S> m <S> So the reasons are one or more of <S> the current isn't high enough (measure it with a clamp meter) and the current hasn't been running long enough or the breaker is faulty (probably least likely) ¹ <S> All numbers guesswork for illustrative purposes <A> Because dirt isn't necessarily a good conductor of electricity. <S> If it was, power lines wouldn't have 3 wires, they'd have only 2 and they'd use the earth for the third wire. <S> Needless to say, this has been tried and doesn't work very well. <S> If your panel is grounded to ground rod #1, and you tie 120V to ground rod #2, all you've done is put a hazardous voltage on that ground rod. <S> Now if your ground is good, <S> e.g. The same rod, then there are 2 more reasons not to get a trip. <S> One is that your breaker is defective. <S> The other is one of several defects in your wiring. <S> The most obvious is hot-neutral exchanged. <S> Obviously if you fault neutral to ground, you won't get a breaker trip. <A> Despite what people may think, electricity is trying to find a way back to the source , not to the ground (earth). <S> When you connect the ungrounded hot conductor to the earth, electricity has to flow through the earth to find a way back to the source (the distribution transformer). <S> Since the ground rod has a high contact resistance with the earth, the current seen at the breaker is quite low. <S> For the breaker to trip, the current has to be high enough for long enough. <S> However, this type of fault will likely not cause the current to be high enough. <S> Here's a crappy diagram that illustrates the scenario. <S> And here's the same crappy diagram with the fault circuit path highlighted. <S> Notice the path that flows through the ground, <S> the resistance there will be really high. <S> Using Mr. Ohm's formula <S> I= <S> E/R, you'll find that as resistance goes up, current goes down. <S> This is why GFCI devices were invented, and are so important. <S> A ground-fault is typically a low current fault, though may carry enough current to kill a person. <S> GFCI devices open the circuit if the ground-fault current gets high enough to affect a person (4-6 milliamperes). <S> This is because the low resistance connection between the rods, provides an effective ground-fault current path. <S> Since the effective ground-fault current path resistance will be low, the fault current should be high enough to eventually trip the breaker (if not instantaneously).
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If the fault ground rod was properly connected to the other ground rod, then the breaker should trip. It's not going to trip, because the contact resistance between the rod and the ground is too high, therefore the current will be low (Ohm's law).
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How can I drill a hole in tempered glass without shattering it? How can I drill a hole in tempered glass without shattering it? Is it even possible? The hole only needs to be around 1/4" in diameter, nothing crazy huge. <Q> You can't. <S> The tempered glass will completely shatter if this is even attempted. <S> If you absolutely must have tempered glass with a hole in it, the hole or any other shaping must be done before the tempering process. <A> Not waterjet, not laser, not hot needle, not under water. <S> Physics, not technique. <S> There is no secret formula for cutting or drilling tempered glass. <S> IF you don't remove too much glass it may not break. <S> If you think that you have cut or drilled tempered glass, you are mistaken, you have not. <S> Tempered glass is made by heating the glass to near melting point and then rapidly cooling the glass surface. <S> When the glass is hot it expands, when you cool the surface it contracts while the hot center remains in an expanded state. <S> This results in a surface compression layer and a center layer in tension. <S> If you pierce the boundary between the layers you will have a pile of little glass cubes where the solid sheet used to be. <S> I test tempered and laminated glass for a living. <S> In fact, there is a high-speed tempering line manufacturing tempered glass as I type this, less than 150 feet from where I am currently sitting. <S> The ultra thin glass used in cell phones (and so on) is chemically tempered in a very shallow surface ion exchange process (replacing the surface sodium ions in the glass with potassium ions is one example of ion exchange) and that glass can be cut unlike heat tempered glass. <S> Chemical tempered glass is not used in normal windows, cars, etc. <S> It's used in specialty applications. <A> Yes, you can. <S> You can't exactly CUT a hole, but you can GRIND a hole, if you're gentle and patient. <S> This feller demonstrates grinding tempered glass. <S> About half-way down <S> this page, "sammiesoo" claims to have sand-blasted and ground tempered glass before. <S> This forum also discusses methods for grinding tempered automotive glass. <S> So the answer is hardly "no," but rather "it might not be worth it." <A> I'm going to go with the first comment and say that it's not possible. <S> Tempered glass can not be cut, scored or sandblasted. <S> Doing so will result in the glass shattering. <S> Laminate glass can be cut, tempered can not. <A> Glass that has undergone thermal tempering cannot be cut; however, it can become annealed once again. <S> Tempered glass can be annealed in a kiln around 900F, varying depending on type of glass. <S> Once slowly lowered to room temperature (~8 hrs+), annealed glass can then be cut and tempered if desired.
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You cannot cut or drill heat tempered glass. You can do edge work if you are careful, but you are weakening the edge substantially in doing so.
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How can I break up a small boulder without power tools? I have a boulder/rock that is about 2 feet long and 1.5 feet in diameter. It is too heavy to lift and I would like to break it into smaller pieces. Without power tools, are there any good methods besides going at it with a sledgehammer? <Q> There are special wedges designed for use in round holes for splitting rock ( feathers and wedges seems to find them). <S> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug_and_feather Remember to use ear and eye protection. <S> Another approach from our practical forebears if you just need it out of the way would be to dig a hole 2-1/2 feet long, 2 feet wide and 3 feet deep next to it, then roll it in and bury it. <S> You could also build a bonfire on or around it, but that has some potential to become more exciting than planned for if the stone has trapped water in it. <A> There exist expanding compounds like this one: Ecobust , which are poured into predrilled holes and expand as they dry, splitting the stone (or concrete). <S> It does require a power tool, unless there are already some cracks in your boulder, but a cordless hammer drill should be sufficient. <A> If it is a nice looking rock or has a particular shape, place it on Craig's list as a free item. <S> I listed four 5" Blue Spruce trees I needed to remove to make way for a garage. <S> Gone over the weekend <S> and I didn't have to lift a hand. <A> Without (electrical) power tools, or a sledgehammer: <S> Here are 10 options besides a hammer or Fire-setting ... mentioned in almost every post (but more specifically, for best results use at least 300 lbs of wood or 100 lbs of wood and 20 lbs of bbq briquettes; let it burn overnight and then (in the morning) dump 15-20 gallons of ice-cold water on it.) <S> Option 1 Use a thermal lance to punch holes in it or cut it apart in about 30 minutes. <S> Option 3 <S> A large fresnel lens with a good focal point on a sunny day will melt a hole in it in anywhere from 20 minutes to 20 hours. <S> Option 4 <S> After using any of the above methods to create a hole, insert black powder or TNT into the hole and detonate it (or use ecobust as mentioned by mustaccio). <S> Option 5 Use a gas powered concrete saw to cut this rock (maybe 10-30 minutes). <S> Option 6 Use a bull dozer, back hoe, or other kind of excavator to remove the rock (20 seconds). <S> Option 8 Use a catapult or rocket to launch the rock into a larger rock. <S> Option 9 <S> Shoot it with a cannon. <S> Option 10 Call in an air strike. <A> Use a crowbar and put another rock under it so that sections of it are unsupported. <S> Now whack it with the sledgehammer a few times. <S> If you get lucky, it will have a crack in it <S> and you can break it into pieces. <S> Otherwise you can knock off sections from the end. <S> Worst case, use the plug and feathers approach described above. <S> Another technique is to make a large fire (e.g. bbq briquettes) on top of the rock, let it get super-hot, and then douse it with water, causing it to crack. <A> Obtain a chisel with a rubber protector around the top, (more contact points and less chance of hitting yourself.) <S> Proceed to hit this chisel with a rubber mallet or other leverage-providing, hard-ended object. <S> By nature of the chisel's inclined plane, forward motion will cause the rock to crack and split along the business end's edges. <S> Depending on the kind of rock, you will soon have a large enough area broken up to sufficiently hold the chisel without aid of your hand. <S> Now use your large implement, (potentially a sledge) to apply a significantly greater force than used before, (making sure to use protective equipment, and both hands,) and you will have a wonderfully large split, or at least a significant compromise of the rock's structural integrity. <S> Repeat this process as many times as needed. <S> Through this, with little expense, like using a wedge with an ax to split firewood, you can break the rock into small chunks, which can subsequently be taken away. <S> You will notice the appeal in using an incline plane to do the work for you, preventing injury and potentially larger amounts of expense. <A> You have no sledge hammer, no power tools, and it's too heavy to pick up? <S> That leaves you with zero options that do not require or produce an explosion. <S> Besides someone taking it of your hands, which is unlikely, seems to me, the simplest solution to dig a sufficient hole and just bury it.
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You can go at it with a sledgehammer (or a smaller hand sledge) and a star drill , and then drive wedges into the holes (or if you are patient, fill the holes with water and let them freeze in the winter.) Option 2 Use an oxyacetlylene torch to cut or drill holes into it in 20 - 60 minutes. Option 7 Use about 80 lbs of Thermite to turn the rock into lava (keep the fire extinguisher handy).
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How to secure toilet fill valve hose to canister I have a Kohler Wellworth (low flow model) that uses a canister-style flushing mechanism. The tube that comes from the fill valve is to be seated/secured in an opening at the top of the canister, held in place by what I assume should be a snug fit. However, the hose continually pops out of place after flushing.Is it safe & effective to glue a hose like this in place? I can't see a place that a typical clip could be used to hold it in position. <Q> Assuming you're talking about something like this: <S> Source: plumbingsupply.com and that the tube is connected to the protrusion at the top <S> , I would suggest a simple hose clamp to hold it in place. <S> Source: <S> hcl-clamping.com <S> They come in a wide variety of sizes and one small enough to fit that would be pretty cheap. <S> Just don't over tighten and crush the input fitting. <S> A zip tie might work, as well, and they are as cheap as can be, and when you're using one small enough for that fitting, it's hard to pull on it hard enough to do damage. <S> If the larger portion of the fitting is still in place, push the tubing on far enough to reach the top of the canister itself and a very small amount of pressure around the smaller diameter portion (from either the zip-tie or the hose clamp) will be enough to squeeze the tube so that it can't slip up over the larger diameter. <A> Try one wrap of electrical tape around the tube. <S> If that ever fails, move on to hot glue (or try two wraps). <S> Try nipping a 1/4" or so off the tube, if there's enough slack. <A> No need for zip tie or hose clamp. <S> If there's room, add a second one for extra security. <A> A clip or clamp on the hose will do nothing to keeping the hose "up in" a cavity. <S> A pressure fitting is needed, that expands into the cavity. <S> Check with the plumbing expert where you purchased the device. <S> Use an appropriate length braided stainless steel covering hose. <S> If you must use adapters, stainless is best. <S> No bi-metal interactions that way. <S> Else brass is the least reactive.
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Instead wrap a twist tie around tightly and twist the ends to secure. Try detaching the tube and reversing it.
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Flow sensor adjustment for Navien 240S natural gas fired tankless water heater We installed a Navien 240S natural gas in our house, and it is working fine. Except the short range for hot water valves in the showers. So, in other words, I need to turn shower valve almost all the way on to start the hot water. This leaves us a very small range to adjust hot water when taking a shower. My plumber explained that it is because the sensor is triggered only with a certain water flow. In general, the water pressure is high already. But there is just not enough flow until I turn the faucet almost all the way on. Is there way to adjust the flow sensitivity for the sensor in the water heater? My plumber suggests the following:He can install some flow controls on the cold water pipe in each shower and set them to desired temperature range. Is this a good solution? I find it strange that I cannot adjust that sensor on the unit. <Q> This is a common complaint for these types of water heaters. <S> This is not a customer adjustable function of these style of heaters. <S> If you're dissatisfied with this product I would suggest searching for a company/product that has positive reviews from people for the product's low-flow response rate. <S> Some products respond even respond well to just running a hot water valve at a trickle. <S> Good luck! <A> then you can turn the hot water on higher keeping the flow high and adjust the cold water to the perfect temp this also gives you a lot more water pressure and NO more hot water drop off.if <S> you don't have that option <S> then you have to turn the temp down on your heater so the water flow is not to slow for the flame. <S> its all about flow if the flow is to slow then <S> the flame could over heat the boiler coil and that can cause the coil to steam and explode <S> so it shuts off to prevent damage to the coil. <S> So lower flow = lower flame. <S> I tried temperature flow control sensors and my tank-less has issues with them and still was getting the hot water drop off and low water pressure. <S> hope this helps. <A> Best solution is to rise the difference between primary water and DHW. <S> Usually is not only the water flow to trigger the boiler, but a low temp on primary water. <S> On most boilers primary water is kept 20°C above DHW. <S> My 15 years old Hermann can handle as low as 2,5L/min, so I think you have a setting problem on the boiler' computer. <S> EDIT: <S> According to your boiler specs, the minimum flow rate for your boiler is 1,9 L/min. <S> I suggest you to lower the DHW temperature on the boiler, 55°C usually is enough, on your biler, so more hot water is required to flow trough the termostatic valve in the shower (and trough the boiler) <S> so the boiler flow won't fall under the minimum.
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Unfortunately, you have a model that seems to be slow to respond to water flow. I don't think any company has a way to adjust the flow sensor on their on-demand water heaters. I find the very BEST fix on almost any tank-less hands down is to install dual handle faucets
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Can my pex line freeze if I use 90 degree elbow connectors? I'm installing a sillcock outside my house and I'm trying to create a drainable line so it won't freeze in the winter. Here's the setup from the outside in: This entire run is located through a basement crawl space that gets very, very cold (freezing?) in the winter. 8" frost-free sillcock connected to sharkbite 90 degree elbow (going straight down). 1' of pex to get under floor joists Another 90 degree sharkbite elbow. 30' of pex slightly angled down. running under floor joists. Last few feet enter the heated space of basement. Finally connected to drainable ball valve I'm concerned about the two 90 degree elbows but its the only realistic way to get from the outside of the house and then under the floor joists. Will this be a problem? <Q> I doubt you need the second 90 (#3) <S> If you think of it as if it was rigid pipe, you end up with a lot of fittings. <S> If you work with its strengths, you can avoid many of those fittings, but you don't get tidy pipe-like runs. <S> I would be concerned with complete drainage ("slightly angled down while running under floor joists" may work for properly hung rigid pipe - pex is not rigid pipe.) <A> If you are concerned about freezing, then the simplest answer is to install a ball valve inside the house, where it is insulated, so that you can shut off and drain the water before it exist the house. <S> As for connecting to the sillcock, 1" pex is a slightly unusual size; Most sillcocks are 3/4 inch but <S> 1/2 inch sillcocks are also fairly common, so (probably) what you want is a 1 inch barb to 3/4 inch (reducing) female threaded connector. <S> I found an adapter from sears that could do the trick. <S> U S BRASS CORP/ZURN-QEST QQSFC45GX 1 x 0.75 in. <S> Below is picture of it, but for $17 it's not what I would choose. <S> Also, you would need a 1" ball valve which will cost about $10-$12. <S> I think that the better solution would be to use a 1" to 3/4" reducer for $2, <S> a 3/4" ball valve for $7 <S> (it's a few $$ cheaper than a 1" ball valve), then a 3/4 inch barb PEX female threaded fitting for about $3. <S> Obvioulsy, you would need some 3/4" pex and some elbows (as Ecnerwal pointed out, the alternative to fittings are bends... <S> 3/4 inch has a tighter radius, but still, if you use a valve inside, then the issue of freezing is mute). <S> Shark bite connectors are fickle; sometimes in tight quarters, there's not a better alternative. <S> But I would hesitate to spend so much on shark bite connectors, when for the same price, I could get a new tool (that makes certain connections) which will have paid for itself on the first use (or at least by the very next use/project- over shark bites). <A> Would it be possible to drill the last two or three joists and just slope the PEX up into line with the sillcock? <S> That way no 90 degree fitting at the sillcock end and everything at that end would be sloped back towards you drainable ball valve.
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As for making connections with PEX, I like cinch clamps, but a cinch clamp tool is kind of expensive ($40-$120). - PEX is bendable at large radius, and if you work with that, you avoid fittings that may have freeze damage (PEX itself does not mind freezing.) Barb Ringed Shank Pex Adapter.
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What is the most efficient window design to maximise cooling in a tropical climate? I am building in equatorial Indonesia. My building is roughly 10x4.5 metres in footprint, and it will be a two storey (3.5 metres each) concrete structure. The building backs directly onto a limestone rock, which is massive, being around 20 metres wide, six metres high. For a variety of reasons, air conditioning is undesirable, so I would like to minimise ground-floor afternoon temperatures. Daily temperatures can go up to about 34C, but sometimes only up to 31C, and at night maybe 25C as a low. Humidity is very high. What can I do in terms of window/ventilation design to keep things cool inside? Normally here they tend to use simple ventilation blocks (hollow concrete or wooden block with wire mesh installed), but I am not particularly keen from the perspective of appearance. Also it's worth noting that the tropical rains can be very heavy and necessitate closing windows/doors - you can be sitting three metres from an open window in heavy rain and still get wet. <Q> As others have mentioned, you could use that large rock to your advantage, but for less money, you can simply design your house to take advantage of passive cooling methods. <S> Quickly, I'll preface that I get most of these ideas from the visitor center in Zion National Park. <S> It gets exceptionally hot and humid in the summer there, but they maintain near-zero usage of AC due to the building design. <S> Window Angle <S> You can position your windows with overhangs or sunshades that passively block sunlight (and potentially some of that rain you mentioned) during the summer months. <S> Indonesia, being so close to the equator (as you said), would likely have less variation in sun angle year round, so it's possible these sunshades would work continuously to prevent heat ingress. <S> Check out these examples: <S> Zion , Sunshades , <S> Google Images <S> Passive Cooling Tower <S> You are making a two-storey building, so you can take advantage of a vertical passive cooling system. <S> I have been next to the one in Zion, and it's amazing how well it works. <S> Check out this diagram . <S> It works on the principle of evaporative cooling. <S> You have wet fabrics exposed to the air at the top of the tower. <S> Warm air rises from your house through a chimney (of sorts). <S> When it reaches the fabric, the warm air causes some water to evaporate, causing the air to cool as it transfers heat into the water. <S> The cool air then returns down the chimney and into your house. <S> It's even possible to do this without needing the wet fabrics (though those help significantly due to the latent heat of vaporization of water). <S> Skylights can accomplish the same task, and many have automatic controllers to close when they sense rain. <S> Ultimately, by having ventilation both high and low, you get passive (or natural) convection cooling. <S> This is also where that large limestone rock can help. <S> If you can get ventilation through that rock, you can take advantage of geothermal buffering, which helps maintain a constant, cooler temperature. <S> Effectively, you are tying the thermal capacitance of your house to the rock, making it harder to heat up easily. <A> What an interesting set of challenges. <S> I would spend some time studying passive cooling and attempt to incorporate the best possible concepts that you can find that would apply to your locale. <S> I was always fascinated by a solar chimney that uses the heat of the sun to create a draft effect drawing air into the house as the hot air exits the chimney. <S> This concept is more applicable in very sunny hot climates. <S> Another idea is to use an earth tube to cool air as it passes through the earth before it enters the house. <S> I am sure you could find some passive cooling ideas that would apply to your locale. <S> Good luck! <A> Location and placement are the top concerns for windows if they are to be used as your primary source of cooling. <S> There's probably computer software for flow diagnostics now; architects used to have to build mock-ups and run colored water through them. <S> You might want vertical casement windows and/or awnings to deal with the rain. <S> Additionally, I recommend a 'whole house fan' . <S> Unless the house is hermetically sealed, it will pull in outside air, regardless if the windows are open.
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On a similar note, using Low-E glass can help reduce any stray IR radiation from entering, further helping cool your house.
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How should I insulate my workshop I have a 20x14' workshop in my backyard. When I had it build, I had the installer place rigid insulation form under the concrete slab but everything else was not insulated. Since then, I've installed insulation batts in the walls and a vapour barrier and then drywall on top of that. It is till cold inside since cold air from the outside can enter in through the ridge vent at the top or the 8 soffit vents that line the side. This year my plan is to insulate the ceiling as shown in the middle picture below. There will be an air gap between the roof and the insulation, then another vapour barrier and a radiant barrier on top of everything. I'm hoping with some space heaters the inside will now remain warm when the outside is cold. I am worried what will happen in the summer though. I don't want the inside to turn into an oven so I'm trying to think what to do to prevent that from happening. I could put an AC unit in one of the windows for the summer months to cool the inside ... but is there another way? I don't want to punch any holes in the walls (through the insulation) because I'm worried birds or critters are going to try to climb into the workshop during the winter months. I was wondering if I could put some fans or vents in the ceiling insulation to allow hot air to escape out through the soffit vents or the ridge vent.... would that work? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! <Q> Solar load (which heats the building to 95 on a 68 degree day) is a real problem. <S> Insulation will make things better, not worse. <S> The #1 thing you can do is paint the roof white. <S> Yes, I know that's hard and weird, but it really does work. <S> Soffit and roof vents, obviously, make it a lot harder to heat a shed. <S> Maybe the architect was concerned with condensation inside your shed, and want to make sure moist warm air from the daytime is cycled out by nightfall. <S> If you're going to hang a ceiling and have a void between ceiling and roof, it helps get rid of solar heat if you move a lot of air through there. <S> That will carry away the heat that comes through the roof before it reaches the ceiling. <S> Of course this would be unhelpful if you are trying to heat below the ceiling. <A> Insulating it works both ways - it will be cooler than the outside in hot weather, due to less heat gain from the exterior, if you keep the windows closed when it is hotter outside. <S> When it is cooler outside, open the windows. <S> Hopefully you have, or will add, screens in the window openings. <S> It will not be 95 inside when it's 68 outside unless you leave the space heaters running, or it's been over 100 during the day, and you did not open the windows when it cooled down in the evening. <A> The first thing to do is isolate the part of the roof that's ventilated from the interior. <S> There's no point in insulating a space that has huge holes in it which allow exterior air inside. <S> Your plan seems like a good one, especially the part about the radiant barrier facing the airspace. <S> However, you have it in the wrong place: radiant barriers should face down, not up. <S> The reason for this is if a radiant barrier faces up, eventually dust will settle on it and completely destroy its effectiveness. <S> As a result, you should install or paint a radiant barrier on the underside of your roof decking, facing down into the airspace. <S> Beyond that, any advice has to be climate-specific. <S> Your choice of temperatures, units, and spelling of "vapour" lead me to believe you're in the UK or Canada--both predominately cold and wet climates with mild humid summers. <S> The reason why this is important to know is because you added a plastic vapor barrier into the wall under the drywall. <S> This is a bit of an error, not necessary in the best case, and harmful in the worst case, because in a wet climate like yours (I am guessing), if you air condition the interior, the poly vapor barrier may become cold enough to be a condensing plane for any moisture that is within the wall itself. <S> These conditions (wet summer, air conditioning, poly vapor barrier) gets you half way to "mold-and-rot-machine" conditions that will exist if additionally the wall sheathing is OSB, if there is stucco or brick veneer applied right over a single layer of tar paper, and if there are no roof overhangs. <S> If this is your wall stack-up, it is imperative that you change one of those conditions, preferably two or more.
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The correct choice in this climate would have been a "smart vapor retarder" or nothing at all coupled with rigid foam or mineral wool exterior insulation outboard of the wall sheathing.
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How to build a door shared by two jamb openings To save space in a small apartment, I want to build a door into the bathroom that when closed, will (obviously) shut off the full bathroom, but when the door is open (opens inwards) will close off the toilet area. I have seen this in a hotel in the UK before. How can I build a door like this? <Q> It can be done fairly easily, with normal hinges too. <S> It would take a bit of alternative framing and jamb work. <S> Open any normal "in swinging" door 90° and look at the gap between the door and jamb on the hinge side. <S> This is what you have to hide. <S> If you look at the pictures you will see that the door on the right is hung in a normal fashion with traditional jamb configuration. <S> One challenge is that a normal lockset will not work (note in picture there is no lockset installed). <S> You would need an alternative style of catch that works in both directions, such as a large bullet catch (see below), and some method of ensuring privacy (like a flush bolt, surface bolt, or old-school hook & eye). <S> You may be restricted on the types of privacy device you use (especially for rentals or public bulding) as normally a method of emergency "unlatching" is required, in case someone inside has a medical emergency or what have you. <A> I can see several problems related to how the hinge pin is located relative to the doorways which would make standard for frame construction impossible for one of the other doorway, and unless you use an unusual hinge... <S> I think the best way to solve it is going to be to model one doorway with the door, swing the door into the 90-degree position, build a frame aroungpd it there, and then figure out how to construct those shapes in proper framing. <A> I know this is old <S> BUT I also want to do this ( <S> One Door two Jambs), <S> and I also had seen it at a Hotel in the UK. <S> Holiday Inn Express in Edinburgh (Cowgate). <S> John, the Maintenance manager, kindly took the time to answer the weird question from Australia. " <S> Thanks Mate" https://www.imperiallocks.co.uk/products/bathroom-mortice-locks/G8072/ <S> A bit of mucking around to get the Hinges and Jambs right <S> but the latch was the hard bit to identify.(mines actually a 3 position door):)
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The other door has framing and jamb work that is "built out" away from the wall; the hinges end up buried on that side and the gap is eliminated. On this kind of unusual design, I would strongly recommend experimenting with some models.
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Does condensate on a skylight indicate a broken seal? Couple of times in the morning I noticed that the skylight is foggy in the center (see picture below). No other windows are foggy. The temperature/humidity is outside 50F/77% inside, 70F/44%. Does this indicate a problem with the skylight? <Q> It's possible that your double pane glass has failed. <S> You should examine it closely under less extreme conditions. <S> If the interior has a "fog" in normal conditions, then the gas has likely leaked out. <S> Sealed window assemblies are only warranted for about 10 years. <S> Some last longer than that. <S> YMMV <S> I replaced all my Velux window panes a few years ago, when I was getting the roof redone. <S> They were fogged and had interior condensation frequently in the winter. <S> I contacted the manufacturer, and was able to special order replacements via the local Home Depot. <S> Though it can depend on if the model is still in production. <A> If cold, moist air is comming in from outside, then it would be unlikely to condense on a warmer (interior) surface. <S> Condensation occurs where there is high humidity in a warm environment, which becomes cool. <S> In this case the temperature inside is higher. <S> 44% humidity doesn't sound very high, but at 70 °F it has about 0.26 grams of water/vapor per cubic foot. <S> At 50 °F (the temperature of the skylight-glass) the humidity (of 0.26 grams of vapor per cubic foot) would be about 92%. <S> So, general condensation is a viable explanation- especially if the cool surface is just-right for condensation. <S> But I would still take a closer look. <S> If not then, then after all the smoke has cleared, I would try again, but this time I would put a box over the skylight and put the incense under the box. <S> Then go back inside to determine whether air is comming in through the skylight. <S> If you cannot find evidence of a leak, then your best options are to treat the surface of the skylight with an antifogging solution or film, or use a fan to help circulate air (usually it helps), or you could opt for a dehumidifier. <S> There are many DIY antifogging solutions (see thread: Is there a technique to make a shower mirror fog-free? ). <S> But some of the listed solutions actually cause more condensation, allowing a water film to occur, which is easier to see through than condensation. <A> The reason vertical windows are less foggy could be some combination of (1) <S> the windows are double-pane insulated, (2) <S> the airflow along the exterior walls differs from the flow along the roof. <S> You didn't indicate whether these are fixed or openable skylights. <S> BTW, if there's an exterior leak, you're far more likely to see water dripping along the box edges when it rains.
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Probably the skylight's fine - this is similar to the condensation on car windows when you drive out of a cold garage on a warm humid day. The test that I would perform, to see if the skylight was airtight, would be to light some incense under the window and then go onto the roof to see if any smoke is escaping. If the latter, check to be sure the drive is fully closed.
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Is pre-mixed ethanol-free fuel better than mixing yourself? I just invested in a very nice 2-cycle string trimmer and I want it to last. I have always used stabilizer in my fuel for my 4-cycle lawn mower. I know that ethanol attracts moisture and the stabilizer does not let the water separate and sink, thus rusting out components. I also know that ethanol used to break down seals and fittings, but that manufacturers use better material now that are okay in the presence of ethanol. Is using a fuel stabilizer and mixing the oil myself just as good as using an ethanol-free fuel? I have read some reviews of the pre-mixed fuels where a lack of lubrication (caused by quality control at the manufacturer plant) have caused pistons to seize up in the cylinders. I don't care about the cost of the pre-mixed fuel as I wouldn't use much in an entire season; the question is more about the benefits and risks. <Q> Nothing is guaranteed but I think the odds of you messing up the fuel/oil mixture yourself are greater than getting a bad batch from the factory. <S> So I would say yes, the pre-mixed fuel is a safer bet. <S> Also if you buy pre-mixed fuel there is less risk of water/dirt getting into your gas cans. <S> However I personally think it's not worth it. <S> You will still want to perform basic small-engine maintenance like emptying the fuel tank at the end of the season, checking the air filter periodically, etc. <S> You could do some back-of-the-envelope math to see how much it would cost you to use the pre-mixed stuff and then compare that to the cost of a new trimmer if this one does bite the dust. <S> At a cost of $20-30/gallon it could really add up if you use the trimmer regularly. <A> Not all gasoline is the same... <S> summer blends, winter blends, exxon brand, BP brand, etc. <S> All gasoline is the same (fungible) in the pipeline; some gas stations have direct lines, while others rely on trucks which deliver gasoline from a local terminal. <S> In either case, treatments are added to the fuel just prior to being sold to the user. <S> That being said, ethanol-free fuel tends to burn better (especially in 2 stroke engines) than E-10 (despite the additives used to compensate for ethanol). <S> Ethanol is thin and does interfere with lubrication- <S> so some of the additives are oils, to help with that issue. <S> Unfortunately, quality is variable. <S> If you search online, you can probably locate a gas station that sells ethanol-free fuel somewhere. <S> That's going to be the safest bet. <S> Also, engine quality makes a difference. <S> Please excuse the product recommendations, but Stihl makes the best weed-trimmer and Kubota makes the best lawn mower. <S> This is not really an opinion; it is an observation of what withstood the most use and abuse from a commercial landscaping business. <A> My chainsaw starts every time ever since I switched to the pre-mix 2-stroke gas without ethanol, even after leaving it in the shed unused all winter.
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Buying pre-mixed fuel removes one possible source of problems but it does not guarantee trouble-free use year after year.
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Chair felt pads that stay on I've got some Ikea Vilmar chairs that have a sort of swivel base and thin legs, and I'm trying to put some felt pads on the chair, but no matter what I try, I can't get them to stay on. They'll come off once someone moves the chair rather quickly since the legs tend to wobble. Any suggestions? Would supergluing it on help at all? <Q> I recently gave up on the felt pads when I saw an odd alternative on Amazon: NancyProtectz Ribbed Furniture Sock <S> These may not be the least obtrusive furniture feet and might not lend to the modern look or feel of the Ikea chairs, but I've been using them on square, wooden furniture legs for a few months <S> and they do fairly well sliding across 100-year old hardwood floors. <S> None of them have fallen off yet, but they do occasionally need to be "hiked-up". <A> If you're trying to use those little peel and stick felt pads, forget it. <S> Those things will never last, no matter how you try to attach them. <S> If this was a wooden chair, I'd say use a nail on foot. <S> Since it's a metal leg, you'll have to find something that attaches via bolt, or some other means. <S> I'm not familiar with these chairs, but some types of chairs have feet that are threaded into the bottom of the leg. <S> If this is the case, you could remove the existing feet. <S> Then find a suitable foot with a matching thread, that could be threaded in instead. <A> There's no reason you couldn't use the self-adhesive pads and augment them with small brads. <S> I'd look for round-headed ones and make sure you drive them well into the felt with a nail set. <S> This assumes that the plastic foot on the chairs is substantial enough to take a nail. <A> I think that most of the felt solutions, or 'sock' styles as seen above make your Chair or piece of Furniture look pretty ridiculous <S> so i'd avoid them. <S> Alternatively you could always look at Rubber ferrules or Anti-marking plastic ferrules, these slip over the Chair leg and work the same way in protecting the floor and the chair leg itself.
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I think that a Nail on foot would definitely be the best solution, you could even add superglue to make sure it never comes out again if you really want.
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Adding an eaves drip edge to an existing roof installation There is some water dripping behind the gutter, and I am thinking of installing a drip edge. From what I read a drip edge is installed under the ice water shield at the eaves. The ice water shield sticks to the surface. Should I be attempting to lift up the ice water shield to install the drip edge underneath? Is the ice water shield likely to rip when pulling it up? Or is it unlikely to stick back after? Any other issue with what I am proposing? <Q> It is possible that your ice & water shield will peel up cleanly depending on age, climate, current temperature, sun exposure, etc. <S> Try that first, otherwise... Installing drip edge under the two layers of shingle that should be present will take care of 99% of the water flow. <S> The small amount that may come down during ice dam conditions may run under the edge. <S> You'll need to decide whether that's a concern in your case. <S> You could also install your edge, then seal it with a narrow strip of ice & water shield. <S> It'll bond with the existing layer over time and seal against nearly all leaks. <S> The bottom line is that anything is likely to improve your current situation. <A> If there is water dripping out from underneath your shingles (on the ice & water), then there is a problem with the roof installation which probably won't be addressed by installing a drip edge. <S> If this is happening during rainstorms, it is because you have a leak higher up the roof, and it probably should be looked at by a professional. <S> If the shingles do not overhang the roof edge enough (1.5 inches is standard) causing water to drip between your gutter and the fascia, the best DIY way to solve the problem would be to install something like this <S> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Gibraltar-Building-Products-10-ft-White-Aluminum-Eave-Drip-Flashing-11368/202322782 <S> in between the shingles and the ice & water. <S> It is only a couple of inches wide, so it should slide up under the shingles easily as there are not normally fasteners at the very bottom of the first row of shingles. <S> Then you could fasten the lower part of the flashing to your fascia with a few coloured screws, rather than trying to lift up the shingles and fasten underneath them. <S> As I said, almost all of the water coming off the roof should travel on top of the shingles, so it is not necessary to put the drip edge under the ice and water shield, or try to seal the upper edge. <S> If there is much water underneath the shingles, your roof is LEAKING, and that needs to be figured out first. <S> Post some pics if you want a more detailed assessment. <A> When your roof is installed , typically the drip edge is installed and then the ice and water shield is over top of the drip edge. <S> Your never gonna get that ice and water shield up without damaging your roof. <S> It's around 10 bucks for a decent roll. <S> What I recommend doing is cutting strips of the coil about 4 inches wide, and take and stick them behind the existing drip edge, and then drill a hole through the existing drip edge and new coil piece and rivet them together. <S> When you add the coil behind the existing drip edge make sure the bottom of the strip of coil is inside the gutter, and there is no space where water can leak out behind the gutter.
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There should only be water getting under the shingles in the specific case where you have a large amount of ice buildup above the overhang of the roof (where it is cold), which causes meltwater from higher up the roof (above your attic, where it is warm) to pool on the roof. What I recommend do is getting a cheap roll of aluminum coil at Home Depot, its very inexpensive.
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Sill plate alternatives when *not* using pressure treated wood? I have a barn I am restoring. I do not want to use pressure treated wood for the sole plate or sill plate. My carpenter would use 4 x6 locust at 12 foot lengths, but we cannot find any. Can anyone suggest an alternative? And if so, what kind of moisture barrier would be necessary. We are not going for code regulations here. So I am open to suggestion. Lumber mill suggested white oak with tight knots. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. <Q> There are many species of wood that are naturally insect and moisture resistant. <S> Redwood comes to mind. <S> People used this for decks long before pressure treated came along. <S> Just install it as you would PT wood with a sill plate gasket. <S> Good luck! <A> Go to a drywall and metal stud distributor and get some 3-5/8" 18ga track with a g90 coating. <S> Might get a bit of surface rust over the years but it won't rot or be eaten by pest. <A> Solid Composite Decking (plastic) <S> ( source ) <S> I've no idea of its compressive strength, but I think it'd do just fine. <S> It is expensive though. <A> you could always use hemlock. <S> it holds up well outdoors and is strong as hell <A> I'm not sure if ipe is a great choice for this, but I think it deserves an honorable mention because I've never seen insects eating it. <S> The trouble with it would be needing to predrill holes (because it's so hard), and it's a bit more expensive than oak. <S> Regarding insect control, use borates. <S> That's the only think that will really work out in the long run. <S> I wouldn't trust cedar to be strong enough for a sill plate, but even if it was, I've seen bugs eating it (cedar shingles and siding). <S> Yeah it's better than pine for resisting bugs (for a while), but bugs will attack any soft and chewy wood... and cedar will eventually lose it's protective oils. <S> Treated lumber uses ACQ (Alkaline Copper Quaternary), but they had to abandon the use of arsenic because of tightened regualtions. <S> Treated lumber <S> just isn't as protected as it used to be... <S> hence the growing popularity of alternative decking materials (like ipe and composite). <S> Ipe is as hard as oak knots.
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Oak is a good choice (tried and true).
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Breaker trips after attempting to install a new outlet I was updating my daughters bedroom and decided to replace all the outlets with new ones. (the old ones were painted over) everything was good until I got to the last outlet and tried to reconnect the new one it immediately sparked and tripped the breaker. I thought maybe I had maybe I had wired it incorrectly, had a bad outlet or a nick in the wire but no. I am baffled as I didn't add anything at all to this circuit to increase the load. Also one weird thing.... the breaker stays on and the rest of the outlets work fine as long as the hot and neutral on this outlet don't touch. I have them capped off separately and everything else is fine. Now what? Could it be that the breaker itself is faulty? <Q> Are you saying that you were changing outlets when they were hot? <S> Or simply that the last outlet sparked? <S> If the latter, it could be a defective outlet or defective install. <S> And it's possible that the sparking incident damaged a previously functional outlet. <S> Look closely again for nicks in the insulation. <S> I'd try again with a new receptacle, but leave the outlet hanging out of the junction box temporarily and see what happens. <S> If that works, then turn off the power, mount the receptacle and see what happens. <S> It should go without saying that all circuits should be off when you're working on them. <A> It's very common when replacing outlets to accidentally ground out either a wire or the screw terminals on the outlet, to a ground wire or to the metal side of the junction box. <S> A common technique is to wrap electrical tape around the sides of the outlet to cover those terminal screws. <S> Do not use "backstabs" ( <S> where you jab a wire in a hole). <S> They are widely viewed as unreliable and a bit dangerous. <S> Either use the screw terminals, or the screw-clamp system used on better quality outlets. <S> This page here discusses the difference. <S> If you're not sure if an outlet uses screw-clamp, you can also use the screws in the normal way. <S> You can get much better outlets, as the above link describes, in the $2.50 to $5 range. <S> Some outlets have one of the slots T-shaped, do not buy those unless your wire is 12 AWG and your circuit breaker is 20 amps. <S> One problem with the cheap backstabs is the holes can be all over the place, and it can be unclear which holes you should be using. <S> Not a problem with screw terminals, or screw-clamp as the hole is right next to the relevant screw. <S> The screws are different colors. <S> Silver screws are for neutral (white). <S> Brass screws are for hot (black, red, etc.) <S> Of course you know outlet runs are not loops, the hot and neutral should not be shorted to each other at the end of run. <S> They should go to opposite sides of the last outlet. <A> These mount screws are sometimes just a little to long. <S> This could happen if your box is crowded.
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Your outlet mount screws could be pinching or cutting into your wires. Don't re-install something that's charred. It'll work when it's pulled out of the box, but when you stuff it back in, pfoof! Cheap 66 cent outlets are cheap.
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Why is my A/C drain line not draining at all? I have a unit that is installed in the attic and is about 10 years old. My problem is I normally have to go up and empty the drain pan every month or so, but lately it's been every 3 days. I have cleaned out the drain pipe, poured bleach in it and still no luck. I have checked the outside drain and nothing. It seems to be just draining in the overflow pan under the unit which is a pain because it fills up and hits the overflow switch then I'm back up in the attic with the old ShopVac. What is my next step? I really don't want to call a repair guy cause of the cost but I am stumped at this point. <Q> If that doesn't work, you can also use an air compressor at the air handler end of the drain line to push out the clog. <S> Or get a helper and do both at the same time. <S> Once it's running clean, you'll want to flush out the drain line with some bleach. <S> Mix a 1/4 cup of bleach in to 2 liters or a gallon of water, turn off the air handler, and pour the bleach water in to the drain. <S> Let it sit for 15 minutes or so, and pour fresh water in to flush out the bleach. <A> Sounds like the drain line is clogged with mold and mildew. <S> You can have an AC repairman use a 'snake' to clean it out for a small fee (compared to major repair work). <S> It should be done every 2 years at most. <S> Also, check the pipe outside to make sure it is pointed down. <S> Lizards and other tiny critters might get inside and get stuck but not likely. <S> It will prevent critters getting into the drain pipe that might get stuck and clog the pipe. <S> The screen is removed each time the drain pipe is cleaned out. <S> It can be a messy job, and dangerous to the air-handler if you do it yourself, so best to let a repairman do it. <A> If your system is anything like mine, that pan is actually the secondary drain. <S> The primary drain goes directly from the unit to the outside. <S> I think they put it on the top so that the homeowner knows it's being used. <S> Rather than guessing, you may want to call in a professional, as @Sparky256 says.
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Take your shop vac outside and hook it up to the drain line to suck out whatever gunk is in the drain line. It the repairman offers to insert a screen filter where the water drips out I would take the offer. In mine the outside primary is on the bottom of the wall and the secondary, which drains the pan, is on the top.
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What is causing my laminate flooring to become warped? Recently I've noticed the following in my laminate flooring: Apologies if the image is huge or unclear (I'm writing this from the Stack Exchange mobile app. In short, there is ripples/bubbles in the laminate. I THINK the bubbling/warping began after we had someone help clean our house. My first thought was that someone spilt water or some wax solution for hardwood floors but it's difficult to say because the bubbling seems to be growing on a weekly basis and some of it goes under a rug where folks couldn't reach. I'm planning to crawl under the house (yay!) to see if there is any water pipe leaks but if not, any other thoughts on what could be causing this? <Q> I doubt it qas from rhe cleaning unless standing water or harsh chemicals were involved. <S> Find out what chemicals were used to clean the flooring. <S> Some (all?) <S> laminate flooring is very susceptible to chemicals and recommend either only water or special cleaner. <S> IMO, This is most likely a moisture problem. <S> Perhaps a leaking dishwasher or sink is allowing moisture under the flooring. <S> For perspective, my wife spilled some bubble solution on our laminate and it was cleaned up less than 1 min later <S> but it managed to soak into the seams a bit. <S> That seam raised up about an 8th of an inch and took nearly 2 weeks before it was completely dry. <S> As it dried, it slowly retreated back to level with the surrounding flooring. <A> Laminate flooring can hold water for a long period of time. <S> While a moisture barrier is intended to prevent moisture from moving from the subfloor to the laminate, it also will hold water on top of it. <S> If you have a crawl space under that part of the flooring, it is definitely advisable to perform a visual inspection. <S> From your photo, I can't tell if the swelling is near an exterior wall, but if it is, I would perform a visual inspection for any signs of water leakage there as well. <A> This doesn't look reasonable to be water damage. <S> I would not expect water damage to cross a seam like that. <S> At the seam, it would wick along the seam and expand on either side of it. <S> Other pix of laminate show raised edges along seams. <S> It looks like something sat as a puddle on top of the laminate, then dried in place, or they found something that actually could penetrate the aluminum oxide top coat, the paper layer and swell the surface. <S> Look closely at the edge of the 'ripple' <S> Do you have something clear sitting on top of the floor, or has colour layer of the floor actually lifted up? <S> If you take more pictures, put a strait edge, like a level, on the floor and get down on the floor and shoot a pic sideways. <S> I'm curious how much the floor has raised. <A> That looks like water damage to MDF-based laminate. <S> The planks are a composite of sawdust and a binder, with a layer on top that has a printed picture of wood and a wear surface. <S> The bubbling in the picture starts at the seams. <S> Water wicks into the seams and is then absorbed into the MDF, which swells. <S> The water absorption can happen pretty fast due to capillary action and the fact that MDF acts like a sponge, but it takes a very long time to dry out (weeks if the swelling is just right at the seams, months if well into the plank). <S> Some MDF has a resin binder and will eventually return pretty much to its original condition. <S> Some self-destructs when it gets wet. <S> The swelling will very gradually improve. <S> Areas like the horizontal seam on the left several planks below the rug are swollen only along the seam, and may eventually return to normal or not be too noticeable. <S> The giant bubble in the center could take the better part of a year to dry out, and may still be noticeable. <S> Give it a year and then assess how noticeable it is. <S> If you can find the identical planks for sale, the damaged planks can be cut out and replaced if needed.
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Check any and all sources of water near the flooring.
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Is there a way to know if my garage door is open remotely? Is there a way to know if my garage door is open remotely? Some times I find my garage door open for no reason. I have expensive bikes in the garage and I don't want to worry about them. Maybe get a notification when it's open. I only want to open it when I am in front of the garage. The garage has no side doors. I live in a condo. <Q> If you're into DIY; you could easily create a setup with arduino, you can check if the door is open with infrared distance sensor or a magnetic switch. <S> Or you could just create a circuit that is closed when the door is closed and feed that information into an arduino? <S> http://www.robotshop.com/blog/en/arduino-5-minute-tutorials-lesson-4-ir-distance-sensor-push-button-2-3637 <S> https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/13769/how-can-i-detect-if-a-garage-door-is-opened-or-closed#13771 <A> Unless that is built into the opener, you will have to buy or build something. <S> What that something is will depend on your needs and how fancy you want to make it, but it's essentially the same problem as putting an alarm on that door. <A> I see several solutions: You could install a security camera; Use a garage door sensor, for example <A> I think you might be over-thinking this... <S> Having some form of motion-capture still won't help if someone is planning on making a shopping trip in your garage while you're out. <S> If your garage door is opening when you're not there, the likely reason is probably that someone else's remote is using the same frequency. <S> Either way, there's probably a way to program the thing to use a different one. <S> Guessing <S> it's either in the manual, or a Google search could find the procedure.
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Asante Garage Door Opener which notifies you by mail, SMS or mobile app; or use a smart home solution, see the review by CNET .
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How to clean oxidized stainless steel Espresso maker? I left my Bialetti coffee maker too long on my inductive stove. It got red hot for a moment and has now a nicely oxidized base. Is it possible or advisable to clean it so that it looks new? <Q> Whether you have the silver/chrome base or the stainless steel, then unfortunately, no. <S> On the other hand, I might suggest using a high temperature paint/enamel. <S> The silver (spray) <S> paints just don't make a good chrome finish <S> (so I wouldn't suggest that); but other colors could work. <S> You should not use paint on the inside of the coffee maker, and some of the high temperature paints (like manifold paint) need to be cooked for it to cure. <S> So you should disassemble the coffee maker (remove any plastic) before painting and baking it. <S> If you decide to paint it, read (especially on the paint can) about surface preparations. <A> i am not sure what ben is talking about, but then again, i am unfamiliar with bialetti coffemakers. <S> i am however, very familiar with stainless steel. <S> if this is just a question of removing heat discoloration from stainless steel, its pretty straightforward. <S> your part is probably made from 316 stainless, but most likely 304 stainless. <S> you may have changed its temper, but its hardness is not relevant. <S> what is relevant is the fact that you induced a heat catalyzed oxidation of an alloy that doesn't oxidize easily at room temperature. <S> either way, its the two steps below: 1) mechanically abrade the area with 400 grit silicon carbide or zirconium carbide sandpaper. <S> sand the area in the direction of the preexisting line finish on the vessel <S> (if its mirror polished, sand however you want until it looks like <S> what you want - you can look up how to polish stainless elsewhere) <S> 2) passivate the stainless steel by immersion in a 50% solution of nitric acid (careful, this stuff is dangerous - wear good latex gloves and a niosh full face mask for acids). <S> this removes the free iron from the alloy and essentially resets the stainless quality of the metal. <S> just immerse it for approx 30 seconds, or until the bubbles evolving from the surface start to spread out and stay on the metal, or stop altogether. <S> remove from the acid bath and rinse in baking soda and water. <A> Depending on how badly the item is damaged and how much you care, I probably wouldn't bother to do anything. <S> A little bit of heat damage is not going to affect the function or durability. <S> If you did want to take a crack at it, Bar Keepers Friend is a cheap and easy-to-find cleaner for stainless steel items. <S> You could try scrubbing it with that, per the directions. <S> It's not particularly dangerous although it does contain a mild acid (oxalic acid) <S> so you probably want to wear gloves. <S> But depending on the extent of the damage it may not help much. <S> (FYI you said the item was stainless steel but aluminum is much more common for stovetop espresso makers. <S> Aluminum is softer and should clean up pretty easily.)
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The steel has lost it's temper (metallurgical changes) and it is not stainless anymore (it can rust now), and this aspect can't be cleaned or repaired. It could be refinished by electroplating it (not really a DIY thing, and although there are electroplaters for hire, the price would be hundreds of dollars).
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How can I improve power quality into my house? I live quite remote and power quality is not great. Currently I run all my computer devices through a 1.5kva UPS after having several power supplies and chargers fry. Since doing that, none of our chargers and supplies have fried but just recently a 2kva autotransformer that was too big to be used on the ups died after only a couple months of usage. I'm assuming once again, terrible power quality is the cause. This issue obviously is costing me money and a detriment to the life of our tools. I don't know how to test the energy coming into the house and whether our energy company has a responsibility to do something about it if we were to prove it is faulty. Either way, how can we clean up the power coming into our home and workshop and make it more stable? <Q> Once the basics (grounding, ground-neutral bonding) have been checked, your options with respect to the power company will depend on where you are - in many places there is a public utilities commission (or similar) that may be able to make them take action if they will not do so on their own. <S> You can rent a power line monitor/recorder to verify if there are issues with your incoming power. <S> They are not stunningly inexpensive to rent, and you'll be better off if the power company can be convinced to park one of their monitors on your line rather than you having to rent one; but it's the only way to actually verify power quality problems - both if there are any, and what type they are. <S> I personally use several/multiple surge suppressors and surge capacitors (the "surge capacitor" is also labeled as a "facility EMI filter") <S> but without knowing what actual power problems you have, it's difficult to say if those would solve your problems. <S> (Just a happy customer - shop around, you can do better than list price.) <S> They (or similar products mentioned by Ed Beal) certainly would not hurt, and MIGHT help; if DIY installed they will cost considerably less than a week's rental of a power line monitor, based on a quick look for those. <A> A UPS is the best way to condition the power for electronic devices. <S> I have installed several of these home surge protector <S> These devices dump transient spikes to ground and reduce some problems people that have "noisy" incoming power. <S> I have had to replace 2 in 1 home that is next to a mill. <S> The huge inductive loads they turn on and off cause daily spikes and can cause there line voltage to droop in the morning the combination of these protectors at the panel has eliminated the loss of digital clocks and TV <S> 's <S> and they do have there Computers on a UPS. <S> They have saved them thousands and keep a spare on hand now. <S> The first one lasted 2 or 2.5 years the second is still in at about 2 years. <S> These have an indicator that lights up when they have been damaged due to two high of a spike. <S> They should be installed at your main service as close to the box as possible, unless you have a disconnect at your meter that would be the best place to install. <S> These do not take the place of a UPS but do dump damaging voltage spikes to ground. <S> the first on i put in <S> was smaller the 2nd much larger and more expensive <S> but it may last many more years. <S> the one in the link is a good starting point for the cost. <S> The first unit I installed was ~1000 Joules <S> the second was 3500 if I remember correctly they cost close to 100$ per 1000 joules + install. <S> But if you are a DIY it can be done by a home owner (at least in my state). <A> As much as UPS are great for brown outs and black out they are basically modified wave inverters with pass through monitoring. <S> Beyond that they are a power strip with a noise filter in it. <S> This will do two things, isolate the power and ground from the other noise sources and give some sine wave form correction if that nasty modified wave inverter kicks in. <S> You will find the isolation transformer make a bit of noise when fed that nasty modified wave from the UPS but better that than your equipment loosing life from bad power forms.
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I would suggest getting an isolation transformer for your electronics and place it after your UPS unit.
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What are good methods of locating plumbing blockages? In medicine if you want to know about the flow of food through the intestinal tract you feed the patient a Barium Meal and X-ray them . Is there any way to achieve a similar sort of result in domestic pipework?I have a blockage in some drains and I have access to most of the pipework, but I can't immediately tell WHERE the blockage is. It would be lovely if I could get out by trusty X-Ray scanner app on my iPhone and just look inside the pipes ... but that doesn't exist. Is there any way that I can (on a DIY budget) detect / trace the flow of water from the plug hole to the main sewer entrance. Majority of the pipes in question are plastic, if that's relevant. <Q> Call a pro Call Roto-Rooter®, or any other plumber of your choice. <S> They'll be able to feed a camera down the line, and tell you exactly where, and what the clog is. <S> Even without a fancy camera, a plumber should be able to use a regular snake to locate the clog. <S> Use a snake <S> If you want to give it a try yourself, plumbing snakes (auger) are available at any hardware or home improvement store. <S> They're available from many different manufacturers, in both hand powered, <S> drill powered, and motor powered depending on your budget. <S> Using a snake is easy, but it takes a bit of practice to get a feel for locating clogs. <S> Keep track of how much line you have fed out, and make note of it when you hit the clog. <S> Then measure along the pipe, to determine the location of the clog. <S> Magnets <S> Get a strong magnet with a hole in it. <S> Tie a string to the magnet. <S> Put the magnet in the drain, and use a large volume of water to flush it down the drain. <S> Run another strong magnet along the outside of the pipe, until you feel the magnet inside the pipe. <S> Flushable transmitters Flushable transmitters are available, that can be sent down the drain line. <S> Once in the line, the transmitter can be located using a receiver. <S> Credit to @Ed <S> Beal <S> Robot <S> If the pipe is large enough, or you can find a robotic ball small enough ( Sphero for example). <S> You could send the robot down the drain to locate the clog. <S> Getting the robot back, might be a challenge. <S> WARNINGS: <S> Anything you put down the drain will have to be retrieved, or small enough to be processed by the waste treatment center. <S> Anything put down the drain should not be damaging to the drain system, nor the sewage system. <A> The following two techniques are perhaps not the best methods, but they're basically free, and don't require any tools. <S> Pinpointing the blockage might not be realistic, and practice may be helpful. <S> Using both techniqes might help get you within a foot of the obstruction. <S> If the pipe is partially blocked (such that it will drain after a couple hours) <S> the best no-tool method to use is your forearm. <S> After the drain has... drained, fill the partially-blocked pipe with hot water, and feel the pipe with your forearm (which is pretty sensitive to temperature). <S> If the pipe is really blocked (and full of water such that adding hot water would not work), then you might be able to tap on it with a screw driver and hear the empty versus dense/full sound. <S> The sound of a full pipe is a little unusual, and the difference between full and empty is subtle, but it's still possible to hear. <A> If you can't access the pipe to check temperature as suggested above, you can estimate by volume. <S> 10 feet of 1.5" pipe holds .92 gallons of water. <S> So if the blockage has completely drained overnight and there's just a little water in the trap, and then it takes a gallon to full the pipe back up <S> , you know the blockage is a little over 10 feet down (so a 25' auger has a chance to work). <A> The other answers are great, however can I add good old detective work using process of elimination and our friends trial and error. <S> If it is only two drains, locate where they link together and do your best to hit that spot with a snake. <S> If its every drain well hire someone to look at the main stack water flows down hill. <S> Final thought maybe its not one single blockage but multiple little blockages.
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If the pipes are all plastic (PVC, ABS, etc.), a strong magnet might help. An infrared camera would be a cool tool for this, or a temperature gun might be just as good, but they aren't commonly owned tools, and your forearm will probably work.
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What can I do about a severed grounding wire? After doing some yard cleanup, I realized that my panel ground wire was severed. I went to Home Depot and was told that they only carried a temporary solution (see attached photo) and that I should seek a code compliant connector. I also talked to an electrician and I was told that to be up to code that I cannot use a connector and that I must re-run a new ground. Unfortunately our setup would require us to run the new ground with new ground rods in a new location because the current path of the ground is no longer accessible (it's under concrete). Can I use a "compliant connector" or do I need to run a whole new ground wire? <Q> Here is what the National Electrical Code says: 250.64 Grounding Electrode Conductor Installation. <S> Grounding electrode conductors at the service, at each building or structure where supplied by a feeder(s) or branch circuit(s), or at a separately derived system shall be installed as specified in 250.64(A) through (F). <S> (C) Continuous. <S> Except as provided in 250.30(A)(5) and (A)(6), 250.30(B)(1), and 250.68(C), grounding electrode conductor(s) shall be installed in one continuous length without a splice or joint. <S> If necessary, splices or connections shall be made as permitted in (1) through (4): <S> (1) Splicing of the wire-type grounding electrode conductor shall be permitted only by irreversible compression-type connectors listed as grounding and bonding equipment or by the exothermic welding process. <S> So, the compression connector you have used there is not a listed irreversible compression connector. <S> If it was it would be perfectly legal according to the NEC. <S> So, the electrician you talked to was not well informed. <S> Good luck! <A> Pictured is not a legal splice. <S> Legal crimps are expensive mainly due to the cost of the crimp tool - if you can find someone to loan you a tool, that might make all the difference in the world, but I wouldn't get my hopes up. <S> And the other permitted methods are rather difficult to pull off (for us mortals). <S> In practical terms, most people I know simply run a new ground wire the entire length. <S> And since you're doing all that, it's a good time to make sure your grounding point is a legal one. <S> Oh. <S> Speaking of that... here's a crazy way to do that. <S> It is legal to have more than one grounding rod/point. <S> They all must be tied to each other. <S> So if you stuck a new grounding rod Right <S> There (assuming that's legal)... and clamped both wires to the new rod using proper methods, then your run from panel to (new) ground rod would be continuous, and the run from the (new) ground to the old would be continuous. <S> Voila. <A> They are usually stocked in 8' and 10' lengths. <S> Buy the grounding rod nut: it's an oval shaped brass nut with a bolt or screw in it. <S> Then drive the grounding rod into the ground very close to the grounding wire with 3 inches of rod protruding from the ground, and then use the grounding rod nut and insert the grounding wire into the side without the screw/bolt. <S> Then tighten the screw/bolt tight as you can get it. <S> This is a permanent, legal fix. <S> Also that grounding rod will be tough to drive into the ground.
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The easiest thing to do is to go to Home Depot and buy a grounding rod. The Code allows the grounding electrode conductor splicing if it is done correctly.
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Oddball wiring for ceiling light My garage has a light connected to a switch and a garage door opener. The garage door opener was hard wired to a line coming out from the space between the porcelain light fixture and the ceiling. The opener was not connected to the switch. The garage door opener died. I am having a new one installed. The salesman told me I must have a ceiling plug installed before they will put in the opener. I shut off the power, went up and opened up the fixture. The guy that wired this up some 35 years ago had two lines going into the light box. inside they were wired together and one set came out around the base of the porcelain fixture and into the garage door opener. It looked like a kluge but worked for 35 years. I could not imagine why the lines were twisted together, since the light is connected to a switch but the opener is not. but I needed to separate them so I could pull out the garage door opener set and connect them to a receptacle I installed in the ceiling as required by the installer. I did so and the receptacle works fine. But the light does not light. Now there are four wires in the light box: black, red, white and ground. None have power now. I tested each pair with a multimeter with the switch in both positions. Nothing. Any ideas as to what might be up here? Thanks in advance. <Q> Open up the switch box, and have a look how it's wired. <S> Without more information (photos, diagrams, etc.), the following information is an educated guess . <S> One of the colored lines (red, black) is likely always hot, while the other is controlled by the switch. <S> The white is most probably neutral, and the bare/green is almost certainly ground. <S> If this is the case, then connecting the devices is simple. <S> Connect all the grounding conductors together. <S> Connect the incoming white wire to the white wire going to the receptacle, and to the white wire for the light. <S> Connect the always hot colored wire to the hot wire leading to the receptacle. <S> Connect the switched hot colored wire to the hot wire for the light. <A> This is not a kludge, he took 2 hots off 1 circuit. <S> To add an outlet tie the white for the outlet to the white in the lamp box. <S> tie the grounds (copper wires together). <S> Now tie your black to the red. <S> connect the black to the outlet brass colored screw, white to the silver screw and copper to green screw on the outlet. <A> If this installation has only a single switch for the light (not a 3 way or coming on automatically with the garage door opening). <S> I think it is likely that power was fed to the light fixture first where the black incoming was nutted together with the black to the garage door opener and the black wire to the switch, the white from the power wire nutted to the white from the opener and white to the light, and the white coming from the switch nutted to the red wire at the light and all the ground wires twisted together.
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If that sound like the way yours was, simply tie the white to the light and black to the switch back into the power wire you've used to connect the receptacle. Again, this is a guess based on the limited information you've provided.
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How do I begin to lay out floor tile in a small bathroom? I have a small bathroom 58x52 Do I need to start in center of room Can I start on wall. Less cutting. How do I make sure tile is square on the floor in case wall is not plumb. Tile is 12x12. 6pcs across 4 pcs down. <Q> I usually center either a tile or a joint. <S> In the case of 12" tiles this is even more impactful, as an off-center doorway catches the eye. <S> Then, lay out tiles in both directions and see how they interact with walls, plumbing fixtures, and cabinetry. <S> In this case, the number of cuts you have to make for a project intended to last many years is irrelevant. <A> You can start wherever you like - there are consequences, though. <S> The reason for normally starting in the middle of the floor is that walls are often (always...) <S> NOT straight or square, and thus a better job results from starting in the center and trimming ALL the walls, rather than starting along one or two walls. <S> Thus, for a "4x6" room, you'd have 3 full tiles by 5 full tiles and trim half tiles (which you might be able to use both halves of, depending on exact size of the room) for every wall contact; that's following normal tiling procedures. <A> The reason to start in the center is to make the room look even. <S> By measuring each end then putting a line down the center you will be able to follow that and any out of square errors are cut in half. <S> The molding/ mop board will help hide the edges. <S> If you want to start from 1 wall pick the wall that has the largest view from the door and go from <S> there would be my advice.
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In the case of a very small bathroom I tend to lay the tile out on the doorway, where the pattern and position are most conspicuous. Almost any project should be undergone with this approach--ask yourself what will be seen and noticed most often, and make compromises where necessary to fulfill that goal.
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Is there a more visually discreet alternative to a range hood? Is there a more visually discreet alternative to a range hood for ventilation? Maybe a system in the wall that sucks in odors, etc? <Q> Retractable Downdraft <S> Range Hoods: ( source ) <S> ( source ) <S> Inset Downdraft Range Hood: ( source ) <A> I am planning a vent near the cooktop with an inline fan on a 6" duct under the floor running to the outside. <S> This especially makes more sense when you have an island kitchen with the cooktop and high ceilings. <S> Then you don't have some monstrosity hanging from the ceiling. <S> Good luck! <A> I did this myself in a rather awkward kitchen with an interior window over the hob, and it was certainly better than nothing despite not being as near the hob as I would have liked. <S> You need to consider the air inlet position as well if you do this - it should be the other side of the source of steam/odour. <S> If you can put up with a cupboard over the cooker, there are almost completely concealed cooker hoods,including recirculating models. <S> This might be tricky to arrange if you've got an island cooker, but then an extractor in the ceiling might be a good idea. <A> They of course still require appropriate venting but it can be hidden. <S> Different styles suck the air down into the cooktop or have a small retractable vent that pops up when in use. <S> Some people say they work great and others say they are useless. <S> I suspect its largely dependent on the type of cooking you are doing. <S> I imagine if you are frequently dealing with high heat (and thus a larger amount of smoke) or really smelly food, then they won't work as well but for your basic boiling water or low heat cooking it will work really well. <S> IMO, they probably would work as well as any non-commercial hood would normally work.
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It wouldn't be as effective but an extractor fan mounted near the cooker would be one way to do this (either in an outside wall or the ceiling) . "Down Draft" ranges and cooktops exist.
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What Cement Based Product Is Used for Smoothly Finished Floors? I recently replaced a floor drain in my basement around which I had dug out the concrete, gravel and clay soil. When I sealed it back in, I laid down a bed of gravel and sand, and then used a standard concrete mix for the top several inches. By standard, I mean it was a typical Quikrete mix with gravel, sand and portland cement. As I was working the top of it with a float, I realized it wasn't going to dry anywhere near the smooth-ish texture of the rest of the floor. I'm guessing that's not achievable with such a gravely, sandy mix. I was correct; the floor in that spot now has a pretty gritty texture and shows lots of pebbles. If I can figure out what product would make for a smooth finish, I may just break it out and do it again as it didn't take long and was not difficult. It doesn't need to be sheet-of-ice smooth, but smooth enough that it wouldn't, say, skin a knee if bumped. My assumption at this point is that the pro concrete guys probably lay down standard concrete, but then do the top 2 inches or so with something smoother, like a mortar or cement mix without gravel or pebbles. So here are my specific questions: Can I buy a premixed product that will finish smooth? How thick should that top layer be? Do I need to let the concrete under the top layer completely cure before applying the top layer? <Q> I recently used Henry FeatherFinish Patch and Skimcoat to prep a rough and uneven concrete floor before laying luxury vinyl tile and was really pleased with the results. <S> Once mixed, it spreads like butter with a trowel or sheetrock knife. <S> You can find it at Home Depot. <A> It's a process, not a "special" material. <S> A good steel trowel job can give a glass-like finish on standard concrete. <S> It's partly technique, and partly timing (or timing is part of the technique.) <S> Troweling knocks down larger particles and brings up smaller ones, resulting in a smooth finish. <S> In many places it's too smooth, IMHO - easy to sweep, but also easy to fall on, especially if damp/wet. <S> On large jobs a 4 (or more) bladed power trowel is used. <A> ok so don't be so discouraged and give it a try. <S> Maybe mix a small amount of cement and try it out somewhere else like a box lid and practice your timing and skill using the trowel. <S> I have never touched concrete anything in my life and helped my hubby last yr with this exact repair! <S> We got a smooth finish with just enough texture to sweep easy but keep traction. <S> You don't need powered anything and you can even grab some chunks out of the mix before pouring just the giant ones that surface before water is added! <S> Good luck
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If you want to get a smooth finish after-the-fact, there are some great products out there that will set smooth and very thin - a real 'feather edge'.
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Is there a trick to opening a tube of caulk? Is there a tool especially designed for opening a tube of caulk, silicone, or construction adhesive? <Q> Yes! <S> the tool is called a caulk gun. <S> Use the spout cutter for cutting off the tip of the tube; then use the seal punch tool for poking holes in the foil seal. <A> You'll use the nail later to hold the partially-used tube. <S> I remember as a kid never having any of that built into the caulking gun. <S> Later, when I tried one that had a handy "cigar clipper" thing on the handle, I thought it was terrible, not allowing easy selection of the place on the cone and impossible to cut at an angle. <A> For UK users there is no separate seal as such, it's part of the tube itself. <S> The top of the threaded part that goes into the nozzle is cut off using a craft knife. <A> In a pinch you use the cutter on the side of the caulking gun, but a utility knife should be used if you plan to do detailed work vs just slopping the caulk on. <S> (The puncturing wire on the gun is fine, though, if there is a seal in the cartridge.) <S> To reseal the tube, take a short piece of duct tape and fold it over the tip, with the fold over the end of the tip, and press the tape to itself on both sides. <S> Don't fold tape tightly against the tip, but leave maybe 3/8" "headroom". <S> Then, once the tape is in place, pump the gun until the tape balloons out slightly around the tip. <S> (Or you can now buy a tube sealer gizmo that looks pretty neat.)
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A knife to cut the tip at the desired spot, and a nail to puncture the seal inside.
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Should I use an additive to my septic system? I recently bought a house with a septic system. In researching maintenance for a septic system I am getting mixed messages about if I should be putting an additive (Rid-X or bakers yeast) down the toilet every few months. Some places have even recommended putting some raw hamburger down the toilet instead every few months. Some people appear to swear by it, others say they do more harm than good. I believe I use normal amounts of chemicals in my house. I run the dishwasher at least once a day, the washer a couple times a week, and then other household cleaners a few times a week. Based on that usage, what is the best way to ensure that I minimize problems with the system? <Q> No, Heck, No! <S> Every bacterium required for the process lives inside you, and populates the tank "naturally." <S> Here is an excerpt from one: <S> http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/environmental-health/plumb/top-ten-tips.htm <S> You do not need to put special additives into your septic system. <S> In fact, some can do more harm than good. <S> Those which advertise that they will remove solids from your tank, usually do. <S> The problem is that the solids exit the tank and end up in the disposal field. <S> Once there, the solids seal off the disposal area, and the system malfunctions. <S> Also, although it hurts nothing, it is not necessary to "seed" a new system with yeast, horse manure, and so forth. <S> Normal human waste contains enough bacteria for the septic tank, and other microbes are already present in the soil and stones of the disposal area. <S> The problem with "products that liquefy sludge" is that you WANT the sludge to stay in the tank until it is pumped. <S> if it gets into the drain field, it will cause the drain field to fail, and then you need a new drain field ($$$). <S> But there is plenty of unofficial bad advice on the internet, and elsewhere, if you want to follow that instead. <S> My advice for the best way to ensure that I minimize problems with the system? <S> as a somewhat informed septic system owner, is that you should have the tank pumped and inspected (that should have been done as part of the "Title V" portion of the sales transaction, ideally - read the report, if it was done) and if it does not already have one, consider having a filter retrofitted onto the (or in place of the) exit Tee. <S> Those can significantly improve the odds of NOT plugging the drain field; but they are not a substitute for regular maintenance (pumping of sludge). <A> AGREE: NO, HECK <S> NO!! <S> My neighbor was telling me about the smell thru the pipe connected to her septic, etc. <S> so I Googled <S> "should I use an additive, etc. <S> " as we talked, to get the latest on use of Rid-X, etc., and this page is one of several that appeared. <S> I can't see your user name, but when I read Title V <S> my first thought was, "Is he from Massachusetts?" <S> I looked back to see that you are from Maine. <S> Our septic person told us in early 70's exactly what you have written re use of Rid-X & additives, so we never used them. <S> I had just casually thrown that in to the conversation with my neighbor because someone had sold her something for $100+, told her to use Oxi-clean, and something about Rid-X to break up the toilet paper so it could go out thru the drain. <S> I then told her that she wants the toilet paper to remain in the bottom of the tank as sludge & not exit the tank and potentially clog the drain pipes; only water should exit the tank. <S> I don't think she heard me. <S> Not using additives & very little bleach in the septic tank has worked well for me for over 40 years. <A> A good friend of mine in New Hampshire makes a decent living digging new leach fields for people who have used Rid-X. <S> He says it generates more business than anything else. <S> He says to just leave it alone. <A> I actually received a letter from my county health department. <S> They said NEVER!!! <S> use any kind of additives to your septic system. <S> It is just another way to steal your money. <S> I'm surprised rid <S> x is still in business. <S> I would think they have been sued numerous times! <S> If not they sure should be!
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I have never used additives and so far all is well. Every single offical source I have ever consulted explicitly states that they should not be used, and do more harm than good.
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is it legal to cut of factory stab in plugs and replace with wire nuts Electric code on wiring lights with factory stab in plugs can stab in plugs be removed and replaced with wire nuts <Q> Yes... <S> Maybe... <S> Technically, probably not. <S> But let's talk first about why you want to cut off the quick connect fitting. <S> If you want to remove the factory installed connector, because you've read all over the internet about how bad "backstab" terminals are. <S> I understand your concern, but you're probably overreacting. <S> The "backstab" terminals the internet rants about, <S> were poorly designed terminals that were built into devices (receptacles, switches, etc.). <S> Modern " push-fit " connectors are a bit different, and are designed with past failures in mind. <S> It's very common for newer light fixtures; especially recessed fixtures, to include " push-fit " connectors. <S> These connectors make wiring the fixture easier, and are used by most installers. <S> These new connectors seem to be reliable, and don't appear to suffer the same failures as the old " backstab " terminals. <S> However, loads of folks still have a bias against these connectors, because of the poorly designed " backstabs " that proceeded them. <S> </rant <S> > <S> As for removing the factory installed connectors. <S> Technically, removing them is modifying a factory assembly. <S> Which technically probably voids the UL listing. <S> And is technically against National Electrical Code, since you're not installing the fixture according to the manufacturer's installation instructions. <S> However, I'm sure loads of people do it, and it's doubtful that an inspector would ever fail an inspection because of it. <S> As long as you use the proper sized twist-on wire connector, and make a solid connection. <S> There should be no problem removing the connector, and using twist-on wire connectors instead. <S> NOTES: <S> I don't have any statistical data on push-fit connector failures, so have no way to prove if they're better or worse than backstab terminals. <S> At the end of the day, it's about your peace of mind. <S> If you're not comfortable with push-fit connectors, then don't use them. <A> So you want to do maintenance work and get good outlets. <S> Code requires wire length 6" from the back of the box Or Minimum 3" clear of the box <S> so there is enough wire to safely wire the devices. <S> Most stabs next to the hole there is a slot that a piece of wire can be pressed into to release the stab so it doesn't need to be cut. <S> Some times you need to push in on the wire in the stab to get it to release. <S> So I would not cut them unless I had to. <S> I have come across 1 job that did not have the release these I cut and pig tailed together with a short wire going to the outlet the inspector was fine with this. <S> Code Ref 2014 <S> NEC 300.14 <A> Lights, you say? <S> Ok the key rule is: Don't reuse stabs. <S> Either pull the wire out of the stab (but don't damage the wire) or cut the wire off. <S> Yes, it's fine to use wire nuts in the US. <S> On some fixtures (i.e. Fluorescent) you are stuck with stabs going into fixture parts like sockets. <S> Remember, don't reuse stabs, so don't pull the wire out of it. <S> Spare as much wire <S> as you can and use wire nuts. <S> (don't trim the wire back to match the ballast leads; the next ballast may have shorter leads.). <S> On a fluorescent fuxture you'll use a lot of blue wire nuts.
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I would look to see if you can release the wire so you don't need to cut it off.
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Can I unplug attic fan over garage I recently moved into a new house and during the inspection, the inspector noted that there was a fan in the attic space above the garage. He also mentioned that I could probably just unplug it because they do not typically install them anymore now that houses have air conditioners because: The fan moves the hot air out of the attic area This pulls air from the main floor of the garage into the attic Which pulls the air-conditioned air out of the house and into the garage. Thus making the air conditioner have to run more often. He said that they instead are now just putting vents in those areas. Is this true? Are there other considerations I should take into account? The attic area is pretty nicely finished and will be used for storage of things we will use about once a year (mostly Christmas decorations). I do not think anything that would be stored there is super temperature sensitive. <Q> Negative pressure in your garage is far more likely to be relieved through flimsy overhead door seals than from inside the adjacent home (presumably through the service door weather seals alone). <S> However, it's probably not doing you much economic good to have a fan running in the garage attic. <S> What little energy you save conditioning your home (with its separate attic space) may be offset by the cost of the fan operation. <S> Otherwise, it's apparently not serving a purpose. <A> The fan is meant to remove excessively hot air to make the air conditioning less expensive. <S> The exhausted attic air should be replaced by air from outside, not from inside the house. <S> The garage ceiling should be (mostly) sealed to prevent air movement between the attic and garage. <S> Unless it is a structure built before about 1960. <S> Also, the attic fan should have a thermostat which turns it on only when it is more than about 120 <S> °F/50 <S> °C in the attic. <S> Check for a control; if there isn't one, obtain a thermostatically controlled outlet and install it. <A> The one change I would make is to upgrade the fan (or convert it) to run on solar power. <S> It's only needed on hot days anyway, which often have more than enough sun to run the fan. <S> A nice simple first solar project!
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If your garage gets uncomfortably warm in the summer it may be worthwhile to run the fan. Definitely keep the garage attic fan (and install one in the house if appropriate).
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Does a roof with 3 layers of asphalt shingles somehow last longer? I have a building with 3 roofs on it, the top layer is starting to curl, etc, due to its age. My question is if having 3 layers of shingles will extend the useful life of the roof? I know this is vague but I hope you see where I'm going with this. <Q> No. <S> The best life will come from removing all the old layers down to roof boards or sheathing and then laying down the new roof on a well repaired flat surface. <S> Multiple layers of shingles happen because folks want to avoid extra removal work or to save the cost of removal labor and disposal costs. <S> There is basically no truth to claims of benefits of stacking shingle layers. <A> As Michael Karas said, this happened because the previous owner was possibly lazy or too cheap to afford labor and disposal... or they may have been physically impared and living on a budget. <S> Adding an extra layer of shingles when the first layer has met it's life expectancy can buy a few more years... <S> maybe 5 - 10 years but the life expectancy of second layer is less than it could be (10-30) years. <S> The third layer is a waste- <S> only lasts a few years (maybe). <S> Most importantly, the extra layers adds a lot of weight (pushing the load limit for the roof). <S> This is kind of dangerous as it might cause the roof to collapse, (especially if you get much snow). <A> The rule of thumb is three layers maximum . <S> After that you pull them all off and start over. <S> Half a century is about time to get a good look at the sheathing , and if any of it is bad, a good time to inspect the joists as well . <S> I'm not saying you need a structural engineer, but you'll want someone on the squad who knows when to say, "This has all got to go. <S> " <S> Be it just the roofing, the sheathing, or on to a few new joists. <S> Where you're going with this, is completely new roof(ing), assuming it leaks . <S> The old shingles aren't helping; they all have nails through them from the latest install. <S> Beyond three layers, weight becomes a pressing concern. <A> in my time as a project manager for a construction company in TX and CA <S> I learned that 3 is the maximum number of layers (legally) allowed anyway. <S> If you're near a coast with hurricanes or in tornado areas, 2 layers is the max due to length of fasteners required to hold into the wood. <S> Time to take them down, inspect the framing / sheathing and start fresh.
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Layers of shingles on top of each other shorten the life of the roof due to the newest layer sitting on an uneven lower surfaces.
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New garage door opener belt sags when opening I recently replaced our chain driven garage door opener (which functioned fine for 9 years) with a Chamberlain MyQ opener which runs off of a belt, instead. It was nearly a direct swap and all works as desired except... when opening the door, the belt on the non-pulling side is very loose. So loose that it drags along the top of the door as it's pulling up.It's been suggested from neighbors that this is not normal, and I'm not sure what/if there's a solution for it. The door is a typical steel rollup with the addition of styrofoam insulation on the interior, and cedar veneer on the exterior. The cedar is heavy . Pulling the quick release to open the door by hand takes some effort, but is not too burdensome and it lifts without any dragging or catching. The majority of the cedar veneer is 5/8". What is seen in the pictures below includes a 3"x5/8" border on top of the vertical planks. The motor seems to show no signs of strain (and neither did the old-lower-powered one) So, the cascading questions are: Is this really abnormal?Could it be due to the added weight of the cedar, thus is the belt not adequate?Can/should the roller springs be adjusted or upgraded to accommodate the added weight of the cedar? Thanks for your assistance -- This is a Youtube link to a video demonstrating what I'm experiencing, and some closer pictures below <Q> I had the same issue on a brand new opener I just installed. <S> The non-pulling side of the belt was loose and floppy when opening. <S> Turns out I just didn't follow the instructions for tensioning the belt properly. <S> Tensioning instructions right here: <S> http://support.chamberlain.com/articles/How_To/How-do-I-check-and-adjust-the-belt-drive-tension-1484145517129 <S> Once I made sure that the tensioning nut was tightened until the spring was compressed to 1-1/4 inches as instructed, the flop in the belt went away. <A> I have a chamberlain opener similar to yours... <S> it is great because it is so quiet. <S> You are righ to be concerned, that loose belt is a problem. <S> You should get a copy of the installation instructions from the Chamberlain web site (if you don't still have yours) and follow the procedure for installing the belt with the right tension. <S> The belt needs to be connected with the tensioner loosened, so that the tensioner can be used to take up any excess slack. <S> The specific procedure should be in the manual for your unit. <S> But basically, assuming the belt is attached with enough slack removed, the tensioner bolt should be able to taske up the rest of the slack once tightened. <S> I think there is a lot to how much you can tighnen at tghe tensioner, so you may need to loosen it and re-attach the belt with less slack. <A> Just had this exact problem. <S> It only took a few turns to take up the slack in the belt, and now it's running smoothly. <A> Not enough rep to comment: If it's determined that the set up is "correct", you might consider a spring loaded idler pulley to take up the slack when the door operates. <S> Does the other side sag when lowering the door? <S> If so, then you may need two idlers. <S> That suggests using a wider or stiffer or stronger belt to reduce the stretch. <A> I just recently installed mine. <S> I had the same issue! <S> All you need to do is tighten the spring more that is connecting the two ends of the belt. <S> Once tightened sufficiently it will no longer have a sag in the line.
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It's possible that this is happening because of stretch on the loaded side of the belt. After contacting Chamberlain tech support, they told me that I needed to increase the belt tension using the nut on the spring tensioner.
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Touching up black aluminium window frame I have a set of folding doors (interior <-> exterior) that have been badly scraped and scratched during a renovation project. I have purchased the correct colour touch up paint from the manufacturer, but there are no instructions on how to apply. My initial thoughts are that I should sand down the area with 60 then 120 grade paper. Clear the area with white spirit and then apply the touch up paint. Does this sound about right? Is there a better way? The finish of the frame is very smooth. Im worried that if I use a paint brush it will be streaky. What applicator should I use? Note: the white area is what's left of the protective plastic, my concern is the abrasion below it. <Q> do exactly what you described just as you described. <S> put four or five coats on. <S> then: 1) sand the new paint very carefully with 800 gr sandpaper. <S> use wet/dry paper and use water to lubricate. <S> use a block of wood as a backer to make sure you dont get too much pressure in one area or another and sand through the paint. <S> sand down until smooth and flush with adjacent paint. <S> dont worry if it looks flat and dull now. <S> 2) repeat with 1200 and then 1500. <S> 3) buff the repaired area and the adjacent area with a smooth cotton cloth (t shirt will do fine) with some brasso, toothpaste, or some other polishing agent. <S> polish with hand pressure and the polishing agent on the cloth until you get the same overall gloss to match. <S> more rubbing, more shine. <S> 4) if a smooth finish is desired, you are done. <S> if you want a brushed finish (like many aluminum panels) rub very lightly with a scotchbrite pad in the same direction as the grain you are trying to match. <S> done! <A> It depends if the doors are wood or metal and if the paint is latex or oil based. <S> You must get the doors very smooth, and steel wool might work best. <S> The best way to apply the paint would be a sponge applicator, or use a brush then a sponge applicator to get the brush strokes out. <S> You can use oil based on oil based or latex, but not latex on oil base without using a bonding agent/primer first. <A> If you want it optically flat, you'll need multiple coats of paint and sanding in between them. <S> Aluminum does not like to sand, it likes to gall, and it readily sullies sandpaper. <S> You would need an "abrasive cleaning stick" for a larger project, but it looks like you'd only go through a few pieces of paper for that job (if any). <S> That being said, all you're going to do with sandpaper, is make smaller and smaller gouges : you can either buff it out, or put on so many coats of sanded paint that it just 'disappears'.
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What's critical is to use the same based touch up paint as what is already on the door. A better easier way would be to buff out those scuffs with a buffing wheel .
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I have to reset switch in basement if I don't turn off space heater when I use the blow dryer My husband says I have too much plugged into my side of the bedroom- 1) lamp 2) laptop 3) cell charger 4) a blow dryer. All are plugged into a Phillips box that plugs into an outlet. I am no Thomas Edison ( or Nikola Tesla) but I think the only thing that really pulls the power is the blow dryer, followed by the lamp. My guess is that the laptop or cell charger don't use much power.? If I forget to unplug a space heater across the room in winter when I use the blowdryer all bets are off and have to unplug everything, go to the basement and reset the breaker. I want to call an electrician and get (I GUESS) another breaker switch for the bedroom so that I can run two "power pullers" (heater, vacuum cleaner, blow dryer. etc) at the same time. Is this really expensive? * What can I expect to pay?* The house is 6 years old- 3 bedrooms 2 baths on a basement. In Georgia, not Manhattan. Would I just say "I need a second breaker for the bedroom" ??"... Yall?.. Thanks! <Q> A cellphone charger is an inconsequential load. <S> The laptop certainly uses less than 10% of the circuit's capacity, maybe even 3-5%. <S> A blow dryer is a huge load, and takes 80% of a circuit's capacity. <S> Those two devices take so much because their mission is to create heat. <S> They want to make as much heat as possible, so they use the circuit up to its limits. <S> Most bedrooms have 1 circuit, so it's effectively all the same side. <S> Now that you know, you could try living with it. <S> Or you could use the blow dryer in the bathroom, which usually has a separate circuit for this reason . <S> You could use the house's own heating system instead of using space heaters, gas is cheaper to heat with. <S> Other than that <S> , yeah, you'd have your electrician pull another bedroom circuit. <S> We cannot begin to speculate what that would cost, because it totally depends on the particular construction of your home. <S> It will be at least $100 and likely a whole lot more . <S> This varies too much to even guess at. <S> Details... <S> Household power in North America is 120 volts. <S> Useful power is measured in watts , which is volts x amps. <S> 15 amps <S> x 120 volts is 1800 watts . <S> Watts are often abbreviated W, or sometimes you see a similar unit called VA. <S> Your cell phone charger is probably 7-10 watts -drop in the bucket. <S> Your laptop is probably somewhere between 35W and 150W. <S> Your lamp - anyone's guess. <S> They made 500W halogens. <S> LED bulbs are as little as 7W. <S> Your hair dryer will say, but expect to see 1500W. <S> Your heater, ditto. <A> You need 'an additional circuit' installed in the bedroom. <S> I would recommend you use the new circuit just for the space heater, and have it rated for 20A. <S> $500ish <S> if you're lucky. <S> (your breaker panel has capacity to be expanded, your breaker panel is in a completely unfinished basement, your bedroom is on the first floor) $2500-5000 if you're unlucky. <A> I agree with Harper's assement but not the cost,, depending on the the of construction Billy may be closer or even low. <S> How much material (wire) from the breaker box? <S> The cost of time and materials, last the cost of the permit. <S> In most cases with a newer house the access is easy compared to older homes but there is still the permit paperwork parts material,,, so the cost goes up as it really wipes a full day out for a small job. <S> Just my professional opinion. <S> The cost may be cheaper in your state but wire boxes and <S> the AFCI MAY be more than 100 + permits and the time to do the job.
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You could install hardwired electric heaters on their own circuit, the heaters are cheap, the power to run them is expensive. The lamp would also be inconsequential if you'd put LED bulbs in it. A heater is also a huge load that takes 80% of a circuit's capacity. Most devices will state their watts. Is there room in the panel for more AFCI breakers in a bedroom that is the standard now. Some times these items can up to well over 500$ for a job like this. Some will state amps, and you must multiply by 120. That switch downstairs (called a breaker) will have a number on it, probably 15, which the curcuit's capacity in amps.
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Can I connect a dishwasher and an outdoor outlet on the same circuit? I bought a "fixer upper" and I'm remolding the kitchen. The previous "hack & wack" investor added a dishwasher but to power the DW they installed an outlet box and powered that box by cutting the power cable to the outside outlet and left that outlet unconnected. My question is it ok or a bad idea to power that outside outlet by "tapping" back into the DW box? Thanks,Mitch <Q> The 2014 NEC now requires the dishwasher to be on GFCI. <S> The 2014 NEC does not require the dishwasher to be on an individual circuit (it never has). <S> So, you could feed either receptacle on the load side of the other with a GFCI. <S> Or you could put the whole circuit on a GFCI breaker. <S> If your locality is still on the 2011 NEC the GFCI requirement was not in there for the dishwasher then but it was for the outside receptacle. <S> So, as Isherwood points out, you could feed the outside from the DW receptacle as long as it is a GFCI receptacle. <S> Additionally, all residential receptacles have to be tamper resistant. <S> Outdoor receptacles have to be TR and weather resistant with an in-use cover that is rated "extra duty". <S> Gets complicated eh? <S> Good luck! <A> and it's fairly well protected from the elements. <S> Even if it does get wet and trip the dishwasher will remain in service. <S> I'm not aware of any codes that this would violate, but I'm not a NEC encyclopedia like some of our members. <A> Others have discussed the code requirements, so I'll answer from a physics point of view: <S> The only real concern is that some models of dishwasher use a significant amount of power. <S> As such, if you're planning to use the outdoor socket for more than light-duty work when the washer is running, the circuit may not have enough capacity for your needs.
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I'd have no concerns about doing so assuming the exterior outlet is a GFCI If it's something you're going to use only occasionally when the dishwasher is off there shouldn't be any problem.
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How can I make my outlets more secure in their boxes? The holes for some of the receptacles in my house are a bit too big: So when I screw them to the box they are wobbling. Any easy way to fix it? <Q> Various products are available specifically for leveling a device in an oversized opening, such as this bracket. <A> You can use spacer shims , they're available at most electrical supply, hardware, and big box stores. <S> They're also available from various manufacturers. <A> Your excellent picture shows the three score marks on each end of the receptacle. <S> These are there for the expressed purpose of breaking off the ends by bending back and forth with pliers. <S> The pieces with the holes are to be used as shims to space out the receptacle if the box is too far in. <S> The center piece (no hole) is to be removed so the end does not rest on the wall surface but only on the box. <S> Use one or both shims on each end as necessary to allow spacing out the receptacle up to 1/8". <S> This gives a securely held receptacle spaced at the right distance relative to the wall surface. <S> The metal shims make a conducting connection whereas plastic ones do not. <S> There would be a conduction path through the threads of the screws, but according to code this is not acceptable by itself as a grounding connection. <S> In the case here the boxes are plastic and grounding is by a wire to the grounding screw. <S> Hence there is no point to having high conductance of the shims. <S> The plastic shims are more convenient to use because the plastic shims are designed so that the screws don't have to be fully backed out to insert the shims. <S> The metal shims are however stronger and might outlast the plastic ones.
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If the wiring is in metal conduit and metal boxes are used, then the grounding of the receptacles may be accomplished by secure contact of the ends of the receptacles with the box. Selection at big box stores may be limited, go to an electrical supply house if you can't find similar.
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120 V between Ground and Neutral? I had a new cooktop installed but it does not work. The unit replaced an old one and was simply plugged into the existing outlet. After checking the basics (no tripped breakers, etc), I whipped out the old multimeter and measure the voltage difference between each input. The results were surprising: h1 - h2 = 240 (correct)h1 - N = 0 (should be 120)h2 - N = 240 (should be 120)h1 - G = 120 (correct)h2 - G = 120 (correct)N - G = 120 (should be 0)h1 = Hot 1h2 = Hot 2N = NeutralG = Ground(Parenthesis are what I expected to measure) I'm obviously mis-wired, but which wires are in error? <Q> That would produce the readings you've recorded. <S> And if your old stove didn't use the neutral conductor, it would work fine. <A> Something is terribly, shockingly awry here. <S> The only way you can get these measurements is if the line marked H1 and the line marked <S> N are shorted together -- but normally, that'd trip the breaker. <S> So, either you have an open neutral somewhere upstream of what's shorting H1 to N, or worse yet <S> , you have a circuit breaker that is managing to not trip when faced with a bolted fault , and said fault has somehow not BBQed your house. <A> I would take a hard look at the receptacle wiring. <S> It's possible you formerly had a NEMA 10 at that location (hot-hot-neutral) and someone hacked in a NEMA 14 improperly. <S> Or you could have some other defect in the connection there. <S> Or possibly back at the panel. <S> It just needs a good general going-through - de-energize the circuit, take it all apart and see what you see.
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I would open up the receptacle box if possible to see what's going on, but the only way I can think that these readings would be plausible would be if the outlet neutral is not connected to a neutral conductor going back to the panel but is instead shorted to H1. If you have only hot-hot-neutral wires and want ground also, you are allowed to route the ground on a different path, and you can buy ground wire separately, so it's easier to retrofit than you might think.
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What type and size plywood is appropriate to reinforce a box spring for 425 lb user? My boxspring is crumpled in pretty bad in one section and its causing back issues but i can't afford a new bed. i was told by the physical therapist to get plywood to stick between the mattress and box spring but i have zero clue what kind to buy. it needs to support the weight of the mattress but also me (425lbs) its a full size standard mattress and box spring on a regular metal frame where its open underneath. <Q> Where is the damage in the box spring (middle/side edge/corner) and how much of it needs reinforcing? <S> Since its going to be 100% non-visible, buy the cheap stuff. <S> If its on the edge or corner, half inch would probably still be fine but I would probably buy something thicker just for added durability. <S> As an alternative, and since this is a DIY forum, I feel I must mention that box springs are pretty simple structures and it would likely be pretty easy to just repair your current one. <S> They are mostly exactly what the name implies (a wooden box full of uncompressed springs covered with fabric). <S> I would encourage you to take the back covering off (its held on by staples most likely so its easy to re-attach) and assess the real damage. <S> Post pics of what you find here asking for advice if necessary <S> but you are probably just looking at replacing a couple of broken 1x2. <S> Take a piece of the broken ones to the lumber yard with you to make sure you get the same kind of wood (or something with similar strength) and replace the full length of the broken piece <S> (don't try to replace just a section of it). <S> If re-breaking is a concern, you can reinforce as necessary after the repair is completed or you could always add the plywood between the mattresses as well just for added assurance. <A> You'll probably be better off buying another box spring, cost and usability, around me I can pick up a full size box spring for ~$30 new while plywood is running $20-30 depending on thickness. <S> The box spring is supposed to be, well springy to some extent. <S> If any of the box spring is still standing the mattress and the rest of the box spring will distribute the weight and you'll bow the plywood well before breaking it, any size. <S> If you're up for repairs and your box spring isn't clustered with metal like this one - though probably wrapped in some cheap skirting cloth - you can probably repair the broken beams with cheap furring strips and install more long running supports or block up the portions where weight actually impacts in the most, obviously the broken area but typically most people abuse the side they get in/out of the most. <S> Talking about actual sleep patterns here, extracurricular activities might want repairs, blocks, and plywood ;-). <A> 3/4" BC plywood should serve you well. <S> It's fairly smooth and will have adequate strength in this application. <S> The question becomes one of rigidity. <S> If it proves too flexible, add another sheet of 1/2" or 3/4". <S> If you're able, cut it to roughly 2" less than the size of the box spring (so it's slightly recessed all the way around), round the corners, and run a router with a bullnose bit around the sheet from both sides. <S> This will prevent wear over time from the mattress material rubbing on sharp edges.
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If the damage is in the mattress with seemingly good supports all around, just about any plywood half inch or thicker is going to work fine for this purpose.
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How to (safely) retract and lower a 40' extension ladder? Last time I was using a 40' extension ladder, it was a major challenge to retract it back from being extended and up against a wall. There were two of us and it was seriously scary. Could have gone wrong and crashed, doing damage or worse to nearby building, vehicles and us, due to it size and particularly weight. Is there a way to do this securely or is it always, for the lack of a better term, a crapshoot? <Q> Your ladder should have a rope and pulley mechanism for extension and retraction. <S> Make sure you understand how it operates to prevent finger injury. <S> Normally it's simply a matter of pulling down on the front rope to raise the ladder. <S> Walking the bottom out to lay the ladder down isn't a good option. <S> It puts huge torque on the person holding the upper portion of the ladder and risks damage to the building. <S> A single fairly strong person can safely stand and lower a ladder by simply placing the ladder base against the wall our foundation and walking it up from underneath, or by backing away. <S> Watch <S> a firefighter do it . <A> Folded as in a folding ladder? <S> Or as an extension ladder? <S> I think the safest method would be to have two people hold the ladder so that you can walk the bottom of the ladder away from the wall while keeping the top of the latter close to but not actually against the wall. <S> That way if the ladder falls, it will fall towards the structure, and not fall far before it stops, resting against the wall. <S> Folding ladder: Once the ladder is low enough then you can fold it up. <S> Extension ladder: <S> Release the catches on the ladder while holding the lifting rope and lower it to its shortest height before walking it back from the wall. <A> The way to handle a long extension ladder safely is to learn how. <S> That sounds tautological, but the point is that you shouldn't mess with it until you've had training and practice , in a safe, open area. <S> If a ladder that long is too much for you to handle, then leave it to the experts. <S> If you want to learn, here are a few pointers. <S> 1) Make sure the rope is clear of obstructions and that the pulley runs smoothly. <S> 2) Keep the ladder close to the house when raising it, and keep it dead vertical while raising it (not easy). <S> Once it's long enough -- which is to say well above roof level, rest it against the roof and slowly pull the base away until it's at the recommended angle. <S> 3) <S> Before stepping onto the ladder make sure that (a) the rope is tied to a rung as a safety factor to avoid accidental telescoping, (b) <S> the ladder is not tilted to either side, and (c) the ladder's feet are solidly seated on the ground. <S> I recommend a base stabilizer, which is a roughly U-shaped bar that bolts to the ladder and provides outrigger feet to stop the ladder from falling sideways. <S> To lower the ladder, reverse these steps. <A> It sounds like you need more than two people (or some special jigs) to handle the weight safely. <S> Two people can hold the ladder. <S> One person controls the rope, using his body not just the forearms to pull and then gently let out the rope. <S> That's three people. <S> The ropekeeper can use his body as a capstan. <S> His own weight, not his arm strength, holds the weight of the ladder-half. <S> Let it slide out with friction against your trunk, or turn in place.
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To retract, lift the ladder a few inches using the rope, which allows the retention brackets to release, and lower the ladder extension with the rope.
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Why is my drywall mud cracking? First of all, I'm new to all this. I recently applied mud to the corners and did some texturing in my basement. Two days later I notice there are cracks in some places. Why is this happening and what should I do about it? UPDATE: Putting it on too thick was definitely what happened. I was just slathering it on like no ones business. Lesson learned... <Q> "Why is this happening?" <S> The drywall mud was applied too thick <S> "what should I do about it?" <S> Either apply additional thin coats (sanding between each), or scrape it down and start over, this time using several thinner applications and sanding between each <A> A few cracks on the first coat are ok since later coats will fill the cracks. <S> From the image it appears the first coat here is much thicker than needed. <S> Excess mud on any layer will just mean more work and more sanding later. <S> Ideally the first coat should be just thick enough to cover the tape and the tape should be tight to the surface (or even below it when the joint is over two tapered edges. <S> Avoid butting tapered and non-tapered edges together as the different heights makes it a lot trickier.) <A> What are you mudding? <S> It looks like cement board it doesn't look like drywall or green back. <S> The cracking is from too much humidity. <S> Place some industrial fans around to circulate the air. <S> Your inside corners are slightly too thick but shouldn't be an issue to cause the cracking. <S> This is coming from a drywaller that has seen some disastrous DIY home owner jobs. <S> Inside Corners and Angles are always the worst for holding in the moisture to cause cracking and are always the last to dry. <S> You need air circulation to help the drying process. <S> Different rooms have more humidity than others especially in a basement. <S> Small rooms you can feel it more so than bigger open areas such as a entertainment room or rumpus area. <S> There's lots of different factors at play <S> but it all ends with humidity.
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Drywall compound shrinks as it dries, so if applied thick or if it has too much water it will crack.
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What kind of paint and texture is this? And how do you patch this area? What kind of paint and texture is this? And how do you patch this area? <Q> it looks like an older product called rockote. <S> its basically a polymer modified brick mortar thats used as a non EIFS stucco finish. <S> i think they still sell it in australia, but you can ask at your local old school lumberyard. <S> the old guys there will know what it was and suggest a replacement. <S> if you can't find one, you can use dyna ceraflex 610, but not the 620 <A> From the looks of the first photo, those are very coarse particles. <S> When you buy exterior paint, grit is an option. <S> Sometimes it is a really good idea, for example, if you are painting porch steps where you need friction to avoid slipping and falling. <S> I would scrape and sand away the damaged paint. <S> Anything loose has to go. <S> Next, buy a good quality exterior paint designed to bond to concrete. <S> The store can tint and add grit for texture. <S> Apply the paint following the manufacturer's instructions (it may require special primer or the surface may need to be prepped somehow). <S> I also recommend inspecting the underlying concrete for damage after removing the paint. <S> If there are cracks, they may need to be repaired before painting to avoid further trouble with that section. <A> As has been mentioned course washed sand has been mixed into an exterior house paint, but it failed to adhere to the cement surface. <S> This may be due to poor prep work or non-compatible ingredients in the paint. <S> It's best to scrape/wire brush <S> the loose paint followed with a scrubbing of water to remove dust. <S> Note if the water is being absorbed by the cement wall. <S> If so the surface is open and porous so it will accept paint readily. <S> Use a paint specifically for masonry. <S> Several are available; the most common is the Dry-Loc brand. <S> I've used this with good results. <S> It will dry with a rough texture and can be tinted to many colors if needed. <S> Another alternate technique, but more labor intensive is to mix a very loose stucco patch to the consistency of syrup. <S> Add enough fill sand to match the existing rough texture and with an asphalt or course brush "throw" it onto the wall.
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That is a rough texture achieved by putting sand or sand-like particles in the paint.
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How can I add thermal mass to my house? We're part of a real-time pricing program with our electric utility company, and a good strategy for offsetting electricity use during peak demand times is to pre-cool the house. The more thermal mass that our house has, the more effective the pre-cooling will be. I've read about phase-change materials and the promise of Thermal Core PCM drywall, but it seems like the development into a commercial product isn't going to happen any time soon. I've seen various vessels filled with room-temperature PCMs for sale , but I have no idea how much I would have to buy in order to make a noticeable difference in thermal mass of a house. Is there a practical way to add thermal mass to my house? I've heard of people suggesting adding large drums of water, though I'd be leery about doing so due to the possibility of structural damage and/or leakage. I also considered loading up our side crawl with bricks, but I'm not sure how much I could safely add without again running into structural concerns. <Q> I have about 50 55-gallon drums stacked in my basement, all filled with water. <S> They are stacked one on top of the other (bottom row/top row) along our north basement wall. <S> I have two in floor-mounted fans, one pushing, one pulling, mounted in the ground-floor joist cavity ( <S> from above they just look like floor mounted cold air returns). <S> During the day, the fans circulate the air around the house. <S> Our furnace has a bypass door on the cold-air return that opens a door into the basement cold-air return. <S> This way, during the summer the furnace fan (on 365 days a year) pulls all the intake air from the basement. <S> With so much air coming from the basement, our 2 to 3 ton AC units run maybe 6 days in the entire summer. <S> The system is cheap to run (about 1/4 of our cooling costs with just the AC units). <S> I got all the barrels for about $200, and I have emergency water for years if i need it. <S> Plus, my house won't blow away in a gale. <A> One boringly unexciting approach is double drywall (and don't choose the lightweight type) though that is more often done when building or rebuilding/remodeling than as a retrofit without some other rebuilding/remodeling going on. <S> It easily and unobtrusively adds a significant mass to the interior structure. <S> Bang for the buck, and in most cases pound for pound, water wins. <S> Much higher thermal mass than an equivalent poundage of masonry. <S> While I'm not aware of many residential applications doing so, you could certainly store quite a bit of cooling by freezing ice during the off-peak hours and blowing air over it during peak hours. <S> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_storage_air_conditioning <S> Aside from the expense, most room temperature PCMs are "wax-related" in a manner that means they are flammable. <S> That becomes concerning when talking about enough to make a difference in your house, rather than a personal cooling vest application. <A> This article provides excellent information about maximizing thermal mass: Phase Change Materials (PCMs): <S> There is growing interest in the use of PCMs as a lightweight thermal mass substitute in construction. <S> All materials require a large energy input to change state (i.e. from a solid to a liquid or a liquid to a gas). <S> This energy does not change their temperature — only their state. <S> For that reason, it is called ‘latent’ (i.e. latent heat of melting or vaporisation). <S> Phase change temperatures vary enormously between materials. <S> Materials that melt between 25° and 35°C are very useful for storing passive solar gains. <S> Any temperature increase over a desired thermal comfort level is absorbed by the PCM as it melts. <S> This energy stays stored until the PCM starts to solidify again as temperatures drop at night. <S> As it solidifies, it releases the stored heat. <S> ... <S> For example, the thermal capacity of a 13mm thick plaster layer with 30% microcapsule content is claimed to be equivalent to that of a 150mm thick masonry wall. <S> PCMs or water filled containers have much greater thermal storage capacity than masonry and can be used as a mass substitute. <S> PCMs are much lighter than masonry. <S> Water has double the storage capacity of concrete and because of convection within the container, penetration rates are substantially higher. <S> Thus water can supply similar storage capacity to masonry with significantly less mass and bulk. <S> Accordingly, both can be cost effective mass options for upper storeys because they require no (or less) additional structural support. <S> Photo: <S> Mike Cleaver, Clever Design Water filled balustrades provide abundant thermal mass as part of this mezzanine balcony. <A> The only good solution to for this that I know of is pumped geothermal heat storage. <S> In this system, a thermal well us used to store heat underground, and a heat pump is used to move energy between the house and the ground. <S> Theoretically, if your local geology permits it, this lets your air conditioning during the summer store heat that can be recovered during the winter. <S> Note that the thermal mass here may exceed that of the house itself... <S> I have friends who had such a system installed, but I haven't heard them either complain about it or enthuse about it. <S> I can ask...
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Phase change materials, or PCMs, may be a useful lightweight substitute for thermal mass.
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Should my subpanel have a neutral conductor feeding it? I have a subpanel to an outdoor patio 75 yards from the house main breaker box and don't think it is wired properly. There are two large hot lines from the main controlled by a 50 amp breaker that go to the subpanel. There is a large ground connected directly from a grounding rod next to the subpanel. Only limited power comes out of individual 15 amp breakers at the subpanel. Is there supposed to be a neutral coming from the main breaker box to the subpanel? If so, what is the minimum size I need due to the distance? <Q> Sounds like they're trying to use the earth as a neutral, which in the US is not allowed. <S> If the wires are through conduit, and the conduit is large enough, you can simply pull two more conductors. <S> If the wires are in a cable, or the conduit is too small. <S> You'll want to pull a new four wire cable, or four conductors through a larger conduit. <S> To compensate for the voltage drop across the 225' long conductors, you're going to have to use larger conductors. <S> In this case, you'll want 4 AWG copper conductors. <S> If you're going to install a new four wire cable, you can use 4-4-4-6 type USE copper cable. <A> Phone quickie answer: <S> Tester101‘s method is the conventional one. <S> Her are some potentially cost saving alternatives. <S> If you need 120/240 and don't want to run new cable, you could obtain a (perhaps used) 12KVA or larger outdoor rated transformer and install this as a new main service. <S> 5KVA would suffice if you changed the supply breaker from 50A to 20A. <S> You'd redesignate the panel as a main panel, add a main breaker (it could be back fed) and ground rods just as you would have for a house. <S> Your 2 hots would deliver 240V to the primary of the transformer, and the secondary would supply split 120/240 with neutral. <S> This would be isolated from house neutral, and would bond to the local ground rods. <S> This might not require running a ground wire from your main panel. <S> Might. <S> In this scenario you definitely need to run a ground wire. <S> If you want to bring a new neutral from the house, it cannot be routed any way you want. <S> It must be bundled or in the same conduit with the other "hot" wires. <S> Ground wires have no such restriction and can take any viable route, <S> provided they are not being misused as a neutral. <S> Anytime you are working in wire 6 AWG or larger, seriously consider the new AA-8000 series alloy aluminum wire. <S> It is in wide use for this "big stuff". <S> Kill on sight any 1350 alloys as they are now outlawed. <S> Perhaps this thing was originally wired for a 240V-only hot tub. <S> And when that was removed, some enterprising handyman tried to provide local 120 service via the ground rod, which assumes the earth <S> conducts electricity well, which it does not. <S> In fact every time you plug a 120V appliance into that panel, you are energizing ground and creating a shock hazard. <A> *Not an electrician, just my layman's understanding: 1) <S> Yes you should have two hots and a neutral, unless (and this is highly unlikely) <S> your sub panel is on a single phase, in which case you could have 1 hot 1 neutral but that would be wrong wiring of a sub-panel to begin with. <S> You actually should probably also have a ground so 4 wires to the panel. <S> 2) <S> Technically you could go 6ga <S> but I would go 3ga here. <S> 3) PLEASE <S> DO NOT CHANGE THIS YOURSELF. <S> HIRE AN ELECTRICIAN TO CONFIRM YOUR THINKING!
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Or, if you only need 120V service at this location, you could keep this as a sub-panel but re-designate one of the two "hots" as a neutral - but this is only allowed if the wire is 4 AWG or larger, which it may well be.
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What are the potential dangers of not removing the tabs on a split receptacle? If I feed a duplex receptacle from two separate branch circuits, I'm supposed to remove the jumper tabs between the receptacles. But what would happen if I didn't remove the tabs? <Q> With a 120/240V single split-phase system, there are two possible outcomes. <S> Separate legs <S> If the branch circuits feeding the device are on separate legs of the service, then the tab will be creating a direct short-circuit between the legs. <S> Same leg <S> If the receptacle is fed by branch circuits on the same leg of the service, the danger is a bit more subtle. <S> Initially everything works fine, no sparks, no tripped breakers. <S> The problem only occurs, if you try to draw more current than the individual branch circuit ratings. <S> In the example below, the branch circuit protection for each circuit is 15 amperes. <S> If you put a load on the circuits, you'll find that the current will take all available paths. <S> This means that the current will actually be divided between the circuits, so that each will see half the current that's flowing through the load. <S> The yellow highlighting below, depicts the electricity's path through the circuits. <S> Still, there's no problem here. <S> As long as the load does not draw more than the circuit rating, everything chugs along just fine. <S> The effects of this mistake only become evident, if the load draws more than the circuit rating. <S> If the load in our example draws 30 amperes, you'll start to see the problem. <S> If you measure the current flow at various points along the circuit, the problem becomes obvious. <S> Each branch circuit only sees 15 amperes, so neither breaker should trip. <S> However, the receptacle will have to handle the full load current, which is well beyond the rated current. <S> The receptacle will heat up and fail, potentially starting a fire as it does. <A> It's worse than tester101 says. <S> Each circuit may not see half, there may be an imbalance of currents between the redundant paths. <S> (Especially if one has a problem, such as being completely broken). <S> Now how are the wires protected from overload? <S> The hots have rather nice breakers on them, but the neutrals are not breaker protected! <S> Nothing will detect an overload there. <S> The opposite is an even bigger problem - suppose current flow does balance. <S> One circuit has other outlets, and those are overloaded to 27A. <S> They draw through this outlet, drawing a relatively balanced 14A from one breaker and 13A from the other. <S> Whoops! <A> There are two main hazards. <S> Overloads can occur, as detailed in other answers. <S> Neutral wires and the loads themselves can easily be overloaded, causing all kinds of problems - even a fire. <S> The other hazard is that turning off the breaker for a circuit will not have the intended / expected effect of de-energized the loads and receptacles on that circuit. <S> This could be dangerous, and will be confusing, for the person trying to turn off that circuit to do maintenance or etc., or for situations where the breaker is used as a switch to turn things off when not in use. <A> If you add two live 15 amp lines to one outlet you will blow the breakers if not the main.
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This will cause a high current through the circuits, which should trip one of the breakers fairly quickly. In fact, this situation can go unnoticed indefinitely, and never cause a problem.
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Why would holes exist behind a baseboard? After ripping out some rubber baseboard, I discovered random holes all over the place. What would be the logical reasoning that these exist (if any)? Edit: Hopefully I don't get completely flamed for this, but I'm asking because the basement that has this has been flooding recently and I'm wondering if these holes could be some poor attempt to "drain" water from the wall by the previous owner. The holes cover basically the entire room like this. Sorry for the misinformation I wanted to see what users thought without knowing this edited piece first. higher resolution and closer image of the same baseboard <Q> I know this is an old post <S> but maybe my response can help someone in the future. <S> We had a water leak in our bathroom that saturated a few baseboards. <S> A water mitigation team came out, removed the baseboards and drooled holes exactly like this around the perimeter. <S> They have set up multiple fans and dehumidifiers to dry everything up and will then put a mold treatment down to prevent any mold from forming. <S> I was told new baseboards can just be put up. <S> So, looks like a past leak and hopefully it was treated properly before putting those boards back up. <A> This basement has has a small flood in the past (~1" - 2" deep water). <S> Fans are then placed around the room aimed at the holes to circulate air behind the drywall to dry out the insulation, drywall, and baseplate. <S> Coupled with an industrial dehumidifier in the room, this was how they dried the basement over the course of a few days. <A> They look like they were cored with a drill and not just made with a hammer, so they're likely from fishing the wire to that outlet. <S> They're either optical locating holes (to find the studs or the fish tape), or 'I need to get my fingers in there' holes, especially that large one. <S> It doesn't really mater. <S> Patch them or not, and put the baseboard back. <A> Yeah, I'd agree with you. <S> Likely a water draining or ventilation attempt. <S> The drywall's on the floor, the holes are too high, wrong insulation installed poorly & the stud's bottom plate isn't pressure treated would lead me to believe it was a weekend warrior project. <S> It looks great, held up this long & no-one's gotten sick yet. <S> I wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot of mold back there. <S> I'd go with a 2-piece replacement baseboard. <S> 1/4" flat stock for the bottom & a bottom <S> drilled-out at the holes molding on top to let it breathe better than ever, invisibly.
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These are venting holes drilled by a flood remediation team after the baseboard was removed.
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How can I wire two switched outlets but power is connected at the first outlet? I'm trying to connect a new switch and two new outlets (from switch) to an existing electric line. This new switch should turn the two new outlets on and off. However, I'd like to connect it as follows: Existing power is closest to new outlet #1. New light switch and new outlet #2 are on the other side of the room and located next to each other. Are there any wiring diagrams to explain how to connect this? I think I can do this with my 14-2 wire but I'm not positive. EDIT: Does this diagram look correct? <Q> If the power enters at the first receptacle outlet, then you can wire it as follows: At the receptacle outlet box <S> 14/2 feed into the receptacle outlet box. <S> 14/3 between the receptacle outlet box and the other outlet box. <S> Connect white wire from 14/2 feed to the silver screw on the receptacle, and the white wire from the 14/3 cable going to the other box. <S> Connect the black wire from the 14/2 feed, to the black wire of the 14/3 cable. <S> Connect the red wire from the 14/3 cable, to the brass screw on the receptacle. <S> Connect all grounding conductors to box and device. <S> Connect the black wire from the 14/3 cable to one of the switch terminals. <S> Connect the red wire from the 14/3 cable to the brass screw on the receptacle, and the other switch terminal. <S> Connect all grounding conductors to box and device. <S> Grounding conductors not shown for simplicity <A> Just use outlet box #1 as both a junction box & outlet box. <S> Having enough room in the box shouldn't be a problem, but you can always get a deeper box if desired. <S> Wire nut the supply to another 14/2 running to the switch. <S> Then, you'll run a new 14/2 back to outlet box #1 to power the outlet. <S> Finally, simply run another 14/2 from outlet #1 to outlet #2. <S> Follow manufacturer's instructions, if provided. <S> But, Black Wire to Brass or Black screw. <S> White Wire to Silver screw <S> (may or may not apply to the switch). <S> Ground or Bare wire to Green Screw. <S> Just Whites (if applicable) & Grounds or Bares at switch would be Pig-tailed to the Switch...pig-tail is a 3rd wire chunk of 6" or 8" <S> that is wire-nutted to the 14/2 wires. <S> This pigtail is the only thing that gets attached to the Switch's Silver (if applicable) & Green screws. <A> [much better answer by Tester101. <S> Will delete this answer tomorrow once OP has a chance to see redirection]
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At the other outlet box Connect the white wire from the 14/3 cable to the silver screw on the receptacle.
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How do I avoid breaking the screwhead with Impact Driver I am a total newbie on DIY woodcraft. I am trying to drill a screw in the wood using impact driver but the screw head breaks up. Do i need to put a hole on the wood first? What I do is directly use my impact driver to drill the screw with the screw. Thanks <Q> For speed and precision, I do two things. <S> I pre-drill the hole. <S> That is especially important on hardwood. <S> I often use special drill bits made for screws which include the countersink. <S> I drive with a speed wrench and a bit holder . <S> This gives speed, control and superb tactile feedback that tells you immediately when you are having some kind of a drive problem. <S> Once you get the knack, it becomes basically impossible to break a screw. <S> Also, I don't use drywall screws for anything but drywall. <S> If you want a screw like that, use deck screws and consider star or square drive. <A> Sounds like you're using a sledgehammer to put in a thumbtack. <S> A less powerful tool might be the answer. <S> A pilot hole will allow the screw to be driven more easily, and may solve your problem. <S> If the driver has a variable torque setting, try setting it lower. <S> That way the clutch will slip before the screw breaks. <S> If you're using phillips head screws and they're stripping, try using Torx or Robertson drive instead. <S> You don't want to use a hammer drill when drilling wood, or driving screws. <S> Hammer drills are only for drilling masonry, and should only be used with bits designed for them. <A> Two things to try: <S> Pre-drill. <S> By drilling a pilot hole in the wood, you're removing some wood to make space for the screw. <S> Without a pilot hole, the screw is essentially wedging itself into the wood. <S> This puts a lot more pressure on the screw as well as the wood. <S> In weak woods, this can cause a split; with weak screws, the screw can break. <S> Drill using a wood bit of a diameter slightly smaller than the screw. <S> If your drill doesn't have such a switch, it may still do in a pinch, but try it on some scrap <S> so you have an idea of how it handles. <S> Use a stronger screw. <S> Not all screws are created equal in terms of their strength and suitability for various applications. <S> In particular, common drywall screws, while nice and cheap, are not good for use with hardwoods. <S> A wood screw will likely be stronger and less prone to shear during installation, as well as during later use. <S> If those don't work, let us know what you're trying to build and what types of wood you're using. <A> I own a rain gutter installation company, we've been having call backs to homes where we've installed new rain gutter. <S> We use # 10 1.5 inch square drives to hang the gutter. <S> The call backs are due to the screw heads breaking off which results in a loose or falling gutter. <S> After speaking to screw manufacturer, he feels the impact driver is causing stress fractures <S> and it's not an issue with his product. <S> As of today we will not allow our installers to use impact drivers and will be switching back to screw guns with clutces
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You mentioned using a hammer drill in your comment - it would be preferable to turn off the hammer function when drilling in wood (most hammer drills have a switch to control that function) because the hammer action will reduce your ability to control the drill and make a smooth hole.
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Several dead outlets, but breaker is fine In my living room, when I first moved in, there was a dead outlet. Everything was tested by an electrician before I moved in, and there are a lot of outlets in the room, so I ignored it. Then some time ago, the outlet I had my floor lamp in went dead. Circuits were fine, everything else in the room/floor/house was working, just (again) one outlet. Now a THIRD has gone in the same room - I am getting worried. Is this likely a wiring problem? Is this a DIY job or should I get an electrician to check it out? The house is pretty old (1930's) and I have no idea when the current wiring was done. <Q> With a home this old it probably has been updated. <S> Are there still 2 prong outlets? <S> If modern 3 prong some level of updating has been done. <S> It is possible that they used back stab outlets very easy to wire but not reliable. <S> With the circuit breaker off, pull the outlets that are not working. <S> Use caution when pulling the outlets because the original braided wire may still be there and the insulation can be fragile. <S> Examine the connection to the outlet--if the wire is pushed into a hole, this is probably your problem. <S> If there are screws on the side move the wires to the screws or purchase new outlets with screws. <S> If you find plastic-coated wires, this is good news, as all the wiring was replaced. <S> I have replaced hundreds of these back-stabbed outlets and this is where I would look. <S> I've found everything from a wire totally burned off to ones that just slide out of the outlet. <S> There is also a slim possibility of a wire nut being loose but that is really rare. <S> Replacement only takes a few minutes and is something most DIY folks can do with just a screwdriver and pair of wire strippers. <A> May be hidden behind couches and similar. <S> A little unlikely given that you had multiple sockets stop working separately, but possible <S> , so I thought I'd mention it. <A> Turn off the corresponding breaker. <S> Remove the receptacles. <S> Turn the breaker back on an test the wires for electricity. <S> If there's no electricity, you have a wiring problem. <S> If there is electricity, your receptacles are bad - replace them. <A> Sometimes, if the receptacle isn't properly shimmed from the box with little plastic spacers, it will move, slightly, every time something gets plugged in. <S> That movement will stress the solid core wires, and "back stab" connections (as described in another comment). <S> With backstabb connections, sometimes it'll lead to load arcs and melt the wire at the connection. <S> Other times, it'll just come loose. <S> And sometimes, with both backstab connections and the conventional side screw connections, it could lead to broken wires. <S> You need more information. <S> 1 - Turn off the breaker. <S> 2 - carefully remove the cover plate 3 - use an electrical tester to confirm that the wires are not hot (I always test my tester on a hot plug first). <S> 4 - unscrew the receptacle screws holding it to the box. <S> 5 - examine the receptacle connections (maybe take pictures and add them to the question if something looks suspicious but you're unsure)
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Most outlets have a slot next to the hole that will release the wire or it may have burned loose. It's possible one or more GFCIs have tripped. Look for outlets with 'TEST' and 'RESET' buttons on them - note that they may not be in the same room, or even on the same floor.
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how can I fix a tripped breaker? how do I fix a breaker that trips when the window ac is on?I have tried unplugging other appliances . The breaker box is an old one. <Q> If it's an old A/C unit, replace it with new. <S> They are much more efficient (meaning: same BTU, much lower energy draw) and it'll pay for itself in energy savings. <S> I just saw a no-brand cheapie that was 8000 BTU for 5 amps. <S> The lower current draw means fewer or no breaker trips. <S> Even an old A/C is unlikely to trip the breaker alone. <S> Most likely it is the "last straw" on an already loaded circuit. <S> Next time it trips, thoroughly survey <S> what else is on that breaker. <S> Research how much current or power each of those loads takes. <S> The best way is with a power meter like a $20 Kill-a-Watt. <S> Measure peak loads while the appliance is "on", e.g. A microwave while it's cooking, a laser printer while it's printing. <S> To be honest, most consumers have no clue how much energy appliances use. <S> This may be an eye opener. <S> The #1 surprise runs Microsoft Windows. <S> A lot of PCs are sold with 850 watt power supplies which can take as much as 1200 watts, though this depends on what the computer is doing. <S> The dead giveaway of a high-draw appliance is it makes a lot of heat. <S> And that especially matters <S> if you are trying to air condition the space, it creates two electrical loads: first to run the appliance and make the heat, and then to run the A/C harder to remove the heat. <S> Reducing one reduces the other. <A> The problem is more likely to be that you really are overloading the circuit... <A> You could try replacing the breaker, as sometimes they do go bad. <S> More likely, you're actually overloading the circuit. <S> A common solution to this, is to run a dedicated circuit just for the air conditioner. <S> If there's room in the panel, it's fairly straightforward to do. <S> (I recommend a 20 ampere single pole breaker). <S> Pull appropriately sized conductors from the panel to the outlet (for 20 amperes, you'll need at least 12 AWG copper, unless the run is really long). <S> Install a single 20 ampere receptacle near the air conditioner. <S> You could install an off colored receptacle (red, gray, etc.), to make it obvious that this is not a typical general use receptacle.
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Install a new breaker in the panel
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help with improving HVAC performance on the second floor of an old house I'm hoping some of you can offer some advice on how best to add a second AC in our home -- or on whether we should look for a different solution. I should say upfront that I've done a lot of reading on this topic and feel more confused than ever. I'm not crazy about the idea of an attic AC (leaks, cost, efficiency). But I also want my pregnant wife and soon-to-be newborn to be comfortable. Some of the more popular alternatives won't work for us, whether they're minisplits (wife hates the look) or a whole house fan (wife has bad allergies and we try not to open our windows because of friction / encapsulated lead paint). Anyway! We live in central Indiana in a 1920s brick colonial -- no insulation in the walls, a few inches of cellulose in the unfinished attic. The house is about 1700 square feet and currently has a newish Lennox 2.5 ton AC, but while the house has plenty of supplies and returns downstairs there are no returns upstairs. (There is a supply in each room upstairs -- I'll put a copy of the upstairs floor plan, about 750 square feet, at the end of this post.) In the summer there's a noticeable difference in temperature and mugginess between the two levels, and I really hate the idea of making the downstairs freezing during the night just so the upstairs is bearable. We're considering putting a second AC in in our unfinished attic with the idea that it'd allow us more comfort and more control. We've received three bids -- the two I'm still considering are in the $4800 range for the labor, second condenser, air handler, and a low-powered electric heater if we ever need to supplement in the winter. A couple questions in case we go with the second AC. Based on the floor plan below, would you put a supply and a return in each room (one bid's proposal) or just put a supply in each bedroom and a bigger return in the hallway, near the stairs (another bid's proposal)? I imagine we'll be shutting the doors more with kids, but there's a big gap between each door and the floor since the previous owners had thick carpet and tile, which we removed. Second question: how much do we need to worry about the ductwork and unit being in the very warm attic, outside the house's "envelope"? I've asked both vendors about this, based on my reading online, and they both said it wouldn't be an issue with our smaller house -- and that the AC units will have insulated cabs and that the ductwork will be insulated, too. Of course, this second AC may be a terrible idea in the first place given the possibility of water leaks and inefficiency and whatever else. So third question: would finding an unobtrusive way to run one return up the second floor hallway and sealing / insulating the heck out the attic be worth trying first? (I don't want to insulate the walls because that's very tricky with brick.) Maybe one return plus a better attic solution and possibly a portable AC unit will be enough. Or maybe there's a way to do a permanent attic AC smartly (and to make my pregnant wife happy). Curious to hear your thoughts. Sorry for the novel length post! If I've forgotten to add any details please let me know. Best,Craig <Q> I've been the HVAC industry for more than three decades. <S> To answer both of your questions: The ideal installation would involve installing a return and a supply to each room. <S> This allows you to accurately and more precisely control the climate in each room. <S> The answer to your second question: Yes, you will need to insulate the ducting outside the insulated envelope of your home. <S> If you do not insulate the ducting it will sweat, causing water damage to your home. <S> Home this helps. <S> Hope I answered all of your questions. <S> Good luck to you and congratulations on your growing family! <A> Before undertaking expensive options, you might try some inexpensive options. <S> You can buy vent booster fans that fits in the rectangular openings. <S> This increases the flow of cold air. <S> Search on "booster vent fan" and check the user ratings. <S> For example: https://www.amazon.com/Tjernlund-RB12-Register-Booster-Fits/dp/B005FNL0SS/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1472475877&sr=1-5&keywords=booster+vent+fan Closing the AC vents on the lower floors also helps. <S> Also, some HVAC units have adjustable circulation volume. <S> If you have one of those, see if your unit is set to the highest setting. <S> Also, you can try to keep the hot sun out of the windows, with reflective coatings or shaded. <S> Finally, the heat may be coming down from the attic. <S> How well insulated is the floor of the attic? <S> Insulating the floor will keep the top floor warmer in winter as well as cooler in summer. <S> These inexpensive options can bring down the temp a good 10 degrees with no ongoing costs. <A> a few inches of cellulose in the unfinished attic. <S> I had a new two-story home and the upper floor would get too warm when the outside temperature went to the upper 80s. <S> The whole problem went away when I installed an appropriate R-value of insulation in the attic, nearly double what the contractor had put in. <S> Far less expensive and far less trouble than considering anything else. <A> I grew up in a similar house <S> so I feel your pain. <S> Here are your best bets, in terms of cost-effectiveness and non-intrusiveness: <S> Seal up the holes and air leaks in the attic floor. <S> Go nuts with caulk and canned spray foam. <S> Every little bit helps, because your attic turns into a furnace in the summer <S> and you don't want that hot air seeping into the bedrooms upstairs. <S> This should cost maybe $50. <S> You probably have a steep-ish attic, so this job will be easy to do yourself, and therefore cheap (ca. <S> $200). <S> Add more insulation to the attic. <S> A lot more. <S> Like, 15 inches or more. <S> You can again do this yourself pretty easily if the access is good. <S> Total outlay: likely under $500. <S> Have an HVAC contractor add returns to each bedroom if none of the above fully solve the problem. <S> This will be fairly intrusive and expensive, but will definitely make a difference. <S> Budget $2,000 or more. <S> Modern window coatings can keep out more than 80% of the sun's heat, which may be an issue if a lot of sunlight streams through the windows. <S> Window replacement is often not cost-effective ($400+ per window), so if you don't have storm windows, Low-E storms can often be added for $100-150 per window--less if you do the work yourself. <S> Also you should really look into having the walls insulated, too. <S> The least intrusive way is to have dense-packed cellulose blown into the walls through little holes. <S> This is also a pro job, and might cost you $3-5,000, but there can often be utility or state government rebates for this kind of work. <S> Finally, the next time you need to redo the roof, look into light-colored shingles or even light-colored metal, if it wouldn't seem too architecturally out of place.
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Add a radiant barrier in the attic , stapled to the bottom of the rafters--provided you have soffit and ridge ventilation. P.S. Shop around and hire a legitimate HVAC contractor who will size your equipment properly or you might get stuck with the wrong size HVAC unit. Get Low-E storm windows if your house doesn't already have them or modern Low-E replacement windows.
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Is a grounded (neutral) conductor required at a switch location that controls a switched receptacle used for lighting? The National Electrical Code requires that all habitable rooms and bathrooms, have a switch controlled light (210.70(A)(1)). It also allows a switched receptacle to be used, instead of a lighting outlet (210.70(A)(1)EX.1). Later in the code, it requires a grounded (neutral) conductor at switch locations that control lighting loads. However, it does not require a grounded (neutral) conductor, where the switch controls " a receptacle load ". So if a room uses switch controlled receptacles to meet the switch controlled light requirement, is the grounded (neutral) conductor required at the switch? Relevant code text National Electrical Code 2014 Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection Article 210 Branch Circuits 210.70 Lighting Outlets Required. Lighting outlets shall be installed where specified in 210.70(A), (B), and (C). (A) Dwelling Units. In dwelling units, lighting outlets shall be installed in accordance with 210.70(A)(1), (A)(2), and (A)(3). (1) Habitable Rooms. At least one wall switch-controlled lighting outlet shall be installed in every habitable room and bathroom. Exception No. 1: In other than kitchens and bathrooms, one or more receptacles controlled by a wall switch shall be permitted in lieu of lighting outlets. Chapter 4 Equipment for General Use Article 404 Switches 404.2 Switch Connections. (C) Switches Controlling Lighting Loads. The grounded circuit conductor for the controlled lighting circuit shall be provided at the location where switches control lighting loads that are supplied by a grounded general-purpose branch circuit for other than the following: (7) Where a switch controls a receptacle load. <Q> Code is a guide for localities to establish rules. <S> As such, if a locale adopts the code as is, it will be up to them to enforce their rules. <S> Now we are down to the inspector's decision as to whether you comply. <S> Usually when there are two rules and one is permissive and one is restrictive, the restrictive one will apply (unless the permissive explicitly waives the restrictive). <S> Further, there are practical reasons to include the neutral at a switch for an outlet. <S> Advanced switches, such as remote control devices or a proximity sensor, usually need a neutral. <S> Obviously, devices that would compromise the outlet if used for purposes other than luminaires should be avoided. <S> You don't want a switched outlet with a dimmer to be accidentally used for a vacuum cleaner. <S> Bottom line, the local inspector will probably be the last word, but I would include a neutral. <A> While there is no rule that says a switched receptacle provided under 210.70(A)(1) <S> Exception 1 must be used for lighting loads -- and the exception in 404.2(C)(7) does not exclude the switched receptacle outlets that are provided under 210.70(A)(1) <S> Exception 1 -- I would consider it good practice to provision a neutral at the switch for a switched receptacle intended for lighting use. <S> As to dimmers and other such devices that can compromise the operation of non-lighting loads: they are forbidden from controlling that receptacle unless that receptacle rejects standard plugs as per 406.11 -- the Lutron DDTR/HDTR series with mating RP-FDU plugs is an example. <S> (You can get them through your favorite electrical supply house.) <A> Easy. <S> You need to provide a neutral for switches controlling lighting loads, 404.2c. <S> But 210.70A1 requires you provide a switch controlling a light in the room. <S> It doesn't say many, it says one, which means zero lights is not an option . <S> If you are using Exception 1 to use a receptacle for the only light in the room... ... then 404.2c must apply there. <S> There would be nowhere else for it to apply. <A> I read that with the same surprise that you do: a grounded conductor (neutral) is not required at a switch that controls a receptacle.
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Since the switched outlet is serving functionally as a luminaire, many inspectors would probably take the view that luminaire switches need a neutral ( grounded ) conductor.
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4A circuit breaker for a refrigerator? I live in Pakistan and we have no electric panel or separate wires for different devices. I am going to rewire my house but before that I wanted to secure the refrigerator wire. I've been reading everywhere that there should be a 20A circuit breaker for the dedicated refrigerator line so I went to an electrical shop and asked him to give me a 20A breaker for it. He said that 20A is too high and I should get a 4A circuit breaker for it. We have a 220-240 single phase coming to our house. My refrigerator's nominal current is 1.25A (200W). The circuit wire is 7/0.29mm. I tried to object saying the breaker would keep tripping because its a big one but he said that he has been using the same breaker for his own big size refrigerator so it will work. Eventually I ended up buying it and attaching the refrigerator phase wire with it. Its been 3 days but still it hasn't tripped. So I want to know is it safe with this amp breaker? Why do we need a 20Amp breaker for it when 4Amp is working just fine? <Q> Commonwealth countries normally use British standards in electrical wiring. <S> For household wiring, there will be two distinct outlet from the distribution/circuit breaker board. <S> Lighting circuits are wired using 1.25 millimeter squared wires and the power outlet wires are 2.5 millimeter squared copper cross section area. <S> So, what you might have read from the internet is, anything connected or plugged in to the outlet socket is protected by the 20amp breakers. <S> These breakers are rated actually to protect the wires in the house wiring, not to protect the appliances plugged to the sockets. <S> Properly rated fuse is already attached in your appliance power plug or embedded in its internal wiring. <A> Most advice you'll find online is for the US, which doesn't really apply to you. <S> They use 120V, so appliances use more current for the same power, requiring more dedicated circuits. <S> I wouldn't run a dedicated circuit for anything except the range (stove, oven, hob, whatever you call it) and hot water (if electric). <S> Everything else is on one of a couple of general power circuits (or lighting). <S> "7/0.29" seems to be rated similarly to 2.5mm^2 copper , so would probably be on a 16A or 20A breaker. <S> If the circuit is all 7/0.29, it can handle that current, and I would have no worries about a 16A circuit breaker. <S> 4A is fine, but you then have a much thicker cable than needed ($$$), and will have nuisance trips if you ever try to plug something else in or add more sockets to that circuit. <A> The refrigerator's motor may surge current on startup, but the local electrical code will discuss whether this is an issue. <S> Anyway, this is beside the point. <S> The point is, breakers protect wires. <S> Whatever is the thinnest wire in that circuit - look up what amperage is permitted on that wire - the breaker should be no larger than that.
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One is 6A lines for the lighting circuits, and another one is 20A lines for all power outlet sockets. The circuit breaker is (mainly) to protect against starting fires from circuit overloads. The 200Watts chiller is definitely consumes less than one ampere nominal current and its startup current may be three times higher, no way a 20Amps breaker will protect it unless it fully burnt and melt down.
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