Looking for a particular dual-track shelving bracket. I'm considering a dual-track wall shelf system for our living room:

(Photo from Home Depot/Rubbermaid)

I'd also like to hang a few things from the tracks other than shelves. For example, I'd like to hang some ikea cabinets, as well as some vertical plywood for a TV mount.

To do so, I'd like to find some brackets that can be attached to the back of an object and then clipped into the track. Essentially, just the back 1" or so of your standard shelf bracket flared out with screw holes to mount it to a cabinet.

Do such things exist, and, if so, what are they called? I've tried searching for terms such as "dual track cabinet mount" but not having any luck.

Brackets of the type you want are made. Specifically designed for supporting wall mounted cupboards, white boards, panels etc.

These were spotted in a UK web site for SPUR Shelving. You would have to check if the slot height and spacing on SPUR products matches those of the particular twin slot standards that you are considering.

here is where you find anything you need

http://www.richelieu.com/ca/en/search/commercial-and-institutional-building-products/commercial-display-hardware/standards-brackets-and-accessories/accessories/1003479?s=shelf+bracket&sort=&nbPerPage=48


How to remove this ceiling lamp cover held together with three metal latches For the life of me, I can't figure out how to remove this ceiling lamp cover.
I need to change the light bulb inside.

The three metal hooks there are held to the base of the lamp with these:

The metal hooks are very rigid. I don't think I can force them open enough to squeeze the glass lamp cover through them.
Here are two more picture of the rivets and latches holding this god forsaken lamp cover:

I'm stuck :(

As usual, it's easy when you know how.
The bolts attached to the metal rim of the light fixture (the part that's tight to the ceiling) are not the adjustable part.
Instead, the other part of them, the decorative metal clips that the glass bowl sits in are fairly flexible.
Here's how you remove the glass shade:
Cupping the glass shade in one hand, gently pry (with your finger) ONE of the decorative clips it sits in up toward the ceiling away from the glass bowl.
From here, you should be able to angle the glass bowl downward and out.
To put the glass bowl back in place once you've changed the bulb, pull back one of the decorative metal clips toward the ceiling and angle the shade back in,
letting the decorative clip gently flip back to hold the glass in place.
Good luck and be careful with electricity!
Always turn off the power.

Loosen the bolt one by one but not remove it. You can unscrew the first one more liberally than the other two. Usually, the cover will come loose after loosen two of the bolts, or with the third one just loosen slightly to release the tight grab.


How do I calculate the length of a ladder I need to reach a certain height? My roof-line is 24' from the ground. What length ladder should I purchase to ensure I can reach the this height safely?

I'm guessing there is a "safe" angle (a) for a ladder, regardless of the height (h). So more generally what is an easy way to calculate the length of a ladder (l) to safely reach a particular height?

You have to take into account a few factors:

extension ladders have an overlap that isn't shown in the nominal length - for example, a 16' extension ladder has two 8' sections, but fully extended is only 13' long.

the ladder will be used at an angle (usually a four to one pitch / 75 degrees) so the top of a 16' ladder won't even be at 13' in use
you don't want to stand on the top few rungs
some tasks take more ladder than others, if you're painting, you can reach up and work a little higher than the top of the ladder, but if you have to get on a roof, you need the ladder that extends well past the edge of the roof (usually about three feet)

Trig tells us the height of the top of a ladder tilted at 75 degrees will be .97 the length.  For example, a 16' extension ladder (which is really 13' long extended) set up at a 4:1 / 75 degree pitch will touch a wall at about 12'7" (13' * .97).

This chart has all you need to know, no math:

Don't the rungs have flat spots on them?  Simply set up the ladder so the flat spots on the rungs are level.   Should work for any height. No math required.


How can I repair a ceiling fan that hums, but doesn't turn? The ceiling fan/light has power. The lights work, but the fan doesn't turn even though it hums.

Why is this, and how can I fix it?

I just wanted to post what worked for me. There are some common issues that can easily be fixed if you hear a hum but it does not spin.

The switch used to reverse the fan direction (not found on all fans, typically found on the side of the fan when present) is between the two settings. Move the switch to either of the two settings.

The bearing has seized. If you open the fan up, take the motor apart, there is a bearing that spins the fan. Spray that with some WD40 and it will fix the issue (this fixed it for me).

The fuse is gone. There will be a small fuse that needs replacing, this happens when the power gets too high for the fan.

The wires have become loose. Check to make sure that the soldering is secure at the ends of the wires to where they connect to the coils.

The motor is covered in dirt and dust. Take the motor apart and vacuum out all of the debris.

Hope this helps someone.

Mine was having the same issue. Lights worked, motor hummed, but the fan did not work. Gave it a spin and still nothing. Took it apart and saw that one of the coils was burnt. Tossed it and bought one of a different brand. Not messing around with hunter ceiling fans anymore. I wanna say it was just shy of a year old.


Why is lots of water bad for septic, and how can I take long showers without hurting it? I recently bought my first home that has septic, after 26 years of living with sewers. I've heard that putting lots of water down the septic all at one time is bad for the system, but I'm confused as to why. As I understand it, the septic tank pumps liquids and other broken down material into the leach field, so the water should go right through into the field.

Due to a chronic pain condition as a result of a car accident, I routinely take 2 hour hot showers to help be able to use my neck for an entire work day. With a standard shower head, this means I'm running about 250 gallons of water through the septic system. (And a low-flow showerhead isn't going to get me the pressure I need to help with my neck.) From an environmental standpoint, I'm not too concerned -- after all, I'm basically pumping the water out of my well and putting it back into the ground 100 ft away in the backyard, so the ecological impact shouldn't be too bad -- but I'm worried I'm somehow damaging my system.

Is this going to hurt the septic system? If so, is there something I can do (perhaps by modifying my plumbing and doing something else with shower waste water) to avoid damage?

It is similar to changing the water on a tank of fish, not quite but the best comparison I think of on the spot. Your septic system works by natural decomposition aided by bacteria, surprising similar to your stomach. Putting that much water into a septic field at once can disrupt decomp process by "shocking" the system or flooding/shaking it and moving the bacteria away from their food source. There are companies and even apartment complexes using septic so it all depends on the size of your system and if/how much you feed you system bacteria (there are quite a few products for this). If you find yourself needing to pump out your septic too often, or at all depending on the system, then I'd look into supplementing it with some products.

Two years ago I bought a house with a septic system that had not been cleaned out in thirty years.  When it rained, the yard smelled like a cesspool; it was nasty.  Apparently, the leach field lines and tank were so full, when the guy pumping it out emptied the tank, the lines emptied right back into the tank and refilled it.  It took three loads out to get it down near the bottom: neither cheap nor pretty.

My experience so far is this:  if I wash too many loads of laundry, my yard will get "squishy" as my grandkids say.  It will begin to smell.  I suspect that I am forcing the gunky stuff into my yard out of the septic tank before it has had a chance to break down.  My son has a new septic system and has no problem with his water load...as long as he has enough grass cover to keep excess water from setting off his septic alarms.  It may depend entirely on the age of your tank and if it has all of the new bells and whistles or not.


How do you replace a couple tiles? So I finished laying wood plank ceramic tile using large format medium bed mortar. I used the Lash system and did this over three days, half on day one, one day off, then finished tonight. Some lessons learned included making sure to half the Lash pliers at the beginning, and more importantly NOT leaving in lash clips on the border stopping point. The clips bonded to the cured mortar and this created some lippage, most noticeable in a couple spots.

Question: what is the best way to remove a tile or two and replace them before I grout? I back buttered every tile and used a 1/2 inch trowel. Substrate is 3/4 plywood plus 1/4 backerboard plus layer of Hydro Ban.

Use a ceramic drill bit to add a series of holes within the tile you want to remove, then use a tile chisel or cold chisel to remove the pieces. Be patient.

TOH has a good article:
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/how-to/how-to-replace-broken-tile

just wack the centre of the tile with a hammer.  hard, not gently.  you want to shatter the tile, and not simply vibrate loose it and 10 other tiles around it.  once broken, just pick out the pieces, grind out the old mortar and install new tiles.  its really quite simple.


Safety Cover for Decommissioned (Empty) Swimming Pool I’m decommissioning my in-ground pool and wanted to cover it with a safety cover like Loop Loc. I called Loop Loc to help select the right type of cover — solid or mesh — but was told that their covers require the pool to be filled because otherwise it can collapse.

The question is if there is another safety cover that can be used for an empty pool? Decking it over would be expensive and am looking for less expensive approach.

If you are really decommissioning it, a truckload of stone (or multiple truckloads of stone) will do nicely and comparatively inexpensively. Ain't nobody going to fall into it or drown in it.

If you have doubts about ever using it again (or some future homeowner doing so) then leaving water and freeze damage prevention (if a freezing climate) pillows in it with a cover over is a lot more easily reversible.

If there's a chance the pool will be re-used, fill it with stacks of blow-up swimming pools, boats, structures, and any and all other large inflatables you can find via craigslist, then a safety cover will have sufficient support.  Search "inflatables" on Google images for lots of examples.


How do I remove permanent marker from a solid hardwood table? A black permanent marker was used on my kitchen table.  My daughter is 3, my bad for leaving the marker out!

An image of the damage:

The top circled area shows one mark.  The bottom circle is where my wife tried to scrub another black mark, and unfortunately the table in that area looks scuffed up now.

Some information on the the table:

Handcrafted of solid hardwood known for its heft and pronounced grain
Hand planed, sanded and finished in antiqued grey to enhance its distressed look
By their nature, unsealed wood planks may be somewhat uneven, and may cup or bow slightly over time, further enhancing their rustic one-of-a-kind character; cracks may be present

A full description of the table: http://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod150011

Often permanent markers can be removed with isopropyl alcohol.  First, assuming you still have the markers, I'd try using this to remove it from a test surface.  If it works, then try on the bottom of your table to ensure it does not damage the finish.  If it is safe, then use it to try and remove the marker from your table.

Kids blue toothpaste works wonders to remove permanent marker stain! We tried it and Thank G-d it worked!


can I remove 1 collar tie I'd like to create a small storage space in my attic.  The beam in Red is low and just gets in the way.  Can I remove one of the Red beams without causing structural problems?  I am willing to put in supports on the sides like the white post I have pictured. I'm also willing to move the Red beam up, but it would have to be all the way up at the ridge to be out of the way.

Probably not. For a definitive answer you can bet your house on (which you will be doing), consult a licensed civil/structural engineer.

The "white post" does not fulfill the same function that the "red beam" does (making strong/rigid triangles to resist forces from the roof loads.)

If the peak is a square joint (90-degrees), then you can get rid of the crossbar and replace it with a heavy duty corner brace. One type looks like this:

Bisonbuilt.com charts about $120 for one of these, but if you buy more they are cheaper. You may be able to find something like this for less, but it will probably be at least $50 for a sturdy one.

I assume all the rafters in the roof have these crossbars. Taking one out is not going to have a big effect, but nevertheless, it is a good idea to put in a corner brace.


I've moved into a new apartment for a while. Is this mold? Is it safe to continue live here? I've moved into a new apartment for a while. Lately, I found these molds on my things.  Is it safe to continue living here? Do you think a dehumidifier will solve this problem? I don't want all of my clothes and shoes to get ruined like these...
Thank you for your help!

Looks more like mildew, which is related to mold, but not as dangerous (from a health standpoint). Yes, a dehumidifier could help prevent mildew. I would also look for sources of the moisture, e.g. a clothes dryer that is not venting to the outside, a bathroom vent that is not functioning (or non-existent), water leaking somewhere etc.

The stuff on the clothes looks like some sort of splatter to me.  The stuff on the shoes and sandals is probably "house dust".  The stuff on the wall is dust that was drawn there by the nearby air vent.


Why is the drywall in my garage sagging? The drywall on my garage ceiling is sagging badly. Is this because it's too thin (I think it's 1/2" and I guess it's supposed to be 5/8") or is it because of humidity or something else? If I re-drywall the ceiling with 5/8" fire resistant (I think that's the code requirement) should I use some kind of sealer on it?

The problem is because sheetrock does weaken a little over time, and with moisture, but the reason you are seeing it sounds like you just haven't used enough fixing points.

Usually you would fix to joists no more than 24" apart, and separate your screws on each joist by 16", which gives you a structure which can even cope with small amounts of water leakage without damage .

If you have joists already present, then you may be able to push the sheetrock back up and nail it correctly, however it may already be permanently warped - this will depend on just how far the bowing is.

I would guess though, that you don't have joists at that spacing - otherwise the sheetrock would probably be fixed to it already - so you will want to remove it all, fix joists and use new sheetrock. (This will be a fun job - especially if the existing stuff is a bit damp - bring friends to help bring it down otherwise you will have an exceedingly messy afternoon)

Someone never installed a 6 mil vapour barrier so the ceiling condenses moisture and rots the drywall out.


How can I feather the edge between still stuck paint and the layer below? (Latex did not stick to gloss oil paint) Someone painted this door with latex paint over oil based glossy paint, without proper surface preparation (*). Thus I'm left with some original oil gloss, and a edge to some still-stuck latex paint.  Here it is after peeling, scraping, sanding and priming:

I sanded everything using EPA Lead Safe Practices, but the edge is still starkly visible, especially after the primer went on.

What are various methods and tradeoffs for making this edge disappear?  This is a high touch area on the door, so it needs to be durable.  Do I prime first?  Spackle first?  What product and steps should I use?

(*) Someone was Mom.

Ever do bondo work on a car?  That's pretty much it.  West System epoxy and various sanding fillers, interspersed with 24-48 hours to wait for the epoxy to cure enough to sand, and an exhausting amount of sanding, rinse wash repeat until it looks right.   It takes a really long time.

The upside is this will also remove the wood damage, which is not inconsiderable. The downside is, it's really easy to mess up and damage trim with a power sander.

When you say you sanded, was that by hand or machine? I would remove the door from hinges and machine sand to bring it back to original wood(?). But there are paint strippers like Jasco (Lowes) which can take off multiple layers. Its a harsh chemical so be safe/protective gloves/eyewear/cover skin. Smells too, but it works. As you can see, priming wont cover edges so this will still show through after painting. Good luck!


Why are homes wired using solid wire rather than stranded? If stranded wire can carry more power for a given wire gauge, why are homes typically wired using solid?

If solid wire is less expensive to make, that provides a compelling reason why solid is used, but if an electrician or homeowner wanted to use stranded, is there any reason not to?

For this question I am mainly referring to legs of U.S. home wiring for 15 and 20 amp breakers carrying 120 volts on a single phase.

A few reasons:

Stranded wire is more expensive to make.
At a given wire gauge, stranded is going to be larger than solid wire (it's the cross-sectional area of conductor that counts and there are going to be some air gaps between conductors with stranded).  This could make a big difference if you have several cables in a limited space like an electrical box.
The main advantage of stranded is that it's more flexible.  You generally don't need this in home wiring because it's all put in place once and hidden behind walls/floors/ceilings.
When you screw a solid wire into a switch or receptacle, you can tell if it's secure.  I could see individual strands coming loose as you fold wires back into an electrical box.

More information in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire#Solid_versus_stranded

For AC -  electrons run through entire cross-section the of wire

For DC -  electrons like to run on the outside of the wire so stranded will have more surface area for a given gauge


Are CAT 5 sockets compatible with CAT 7 cable? I am planning to add Ethernet wiring to my house (semi-detached three-storey town house). I will be using this network to connect several (4-6) computers together in a typical (geek) home setting.

I have worked out the topology and most of the components, but there is one I am stuck on: the sockets. The quote I received from the electrician includes Cat 7 cables (probably overkill, but the difference in price to Cat 6 was minimal) and Cat 5 (RJ-45) sockets. I have a fairly good handle on Cat 5 / 6 / 7 cables, but the sockets have me stumped:

What does the Category (Cat) of an Ethernet socket signify?
If I connect Cat 5 sockets to Cat 7 cables, will I be limited to "Cat 5" speeds? Is the difference even likely to be noticeable in a home network?
My electrician claims that Cat 6 or Cat 7 sockets are very rare and almost never used. Is this the case? Some Googling has turned up the GG45 socket, which seems to be a backwards-compatible (with RJ-45) socket for Cat 7 cables - is this what I should be looking for? Or can I replace my Cat 5 sockets with Cat 7 sockets at a later date?

I'm still trying to get my head around this, so I apologise for the somewhat confusing questions, and would be most grateful if anyone can point me onto the correct path!

Cat7 connectors are compatible with Cat5, with enhancements and caveats

Cat5, Cat5e, Cat6 and Cat7 are physically and electrically compatible. It's when you try to do 10Gb/s or higher signaling on the cable that the Cat5e standard falls over. Even at that, though, Cat5e will do 10Gbps out to 150 feet.

The physical connectors for Cat6 and Cat7 cables are still RJ45 plugs, but they're shielded and the standard calls for much less untwisting at the ends of the cable in the connectors than what is permissible for Cat5e. It's "harder" to do a proper Cat6 or Cat7 termination.

Aside from the wire twist requirements, in order for shielded connectors to work as designed, the grounding conductor in the cable has to be permanently in contact with the metal shield on the plug or jack when it is connected to the cable. You'll also see shielded Cat5e in installations like outdoor radio connections. Properly shielded cables also open up a whole new realm of potential issues like ground loop interference, so all of your equipment needs to be properly grounded, as well.

Performance

Anyhow... if you connect your Cat7 cable to Cat5e jacks, presuming your Cat5e jacks let you jam the thicker Cat7 wires in (which they almost certainly will), you can expect Cat5e performance. Cat5e performance is 1000 Mb/s (Gigabit Ethernet, or about 125 Megabytes per second). Properly terminated Cat5e will handle 10Gbps out to 150 feet, and Cat6 will handle 10Gbps out to 180 feet. Cat6 is often more than a job calls for, and costs twice as much.

Just for reference, if you have a mechanical hard drive in your computer, it's going to struggle to push more than 120 Megabytes per second. Gigabit Ethernet is every bit as fast as your internal hard drive throughput. If you have an SATA SSD, you may see 500 Megabytes per second, which is "faster" than Gigabit Ethernet. With the right switch, you can aggregate ports to create a 2 Gb/s, 3Gb/s, 4Gb/s or faster channel, but any single copy operation will only be able to saturate one of those aggregated links. If you have a PCI express SSD, it may be able to push over a Gigabyte per second, at which point you would need a 10Gbps network to come close to supporting the full throughput of that drive. But in practice, it's rare that you would need that kind of throughput over the network. A RAID built out of PCI express SSD's will support an absurd amount of throughput, at which point you would need to aggregate multiple 10Gbps links to fully support the throughput of the RAID array. But you don't need anything like that unless you're a big datacenter with big SANs and heavy virtualized workloads.

Personally, just to future-proof, I would consider running at least 2 Cat6 or Cat7 cables to every room if I was pulling new cable. But the chances of ever actually needing all that bandwidth are pretty low.

10Gbps Ethernet still costs over $100 per port right now, which is expensive for home use (you could get an 8 port 10Gbps switch for about $850).

It's unlikely that you need bigger bandwidth at your house than what Gigabit Ethernet provides today. On the other hand, I'd check the cost of Cat6 or Cat7 jacks and if you can bear the extra cost, have those installed instead of the Cat5e jacks.

Bear in mind that if your installer doesn't terminate those Cat6 or Cat7 jacks correctly (properly bonding the grounding conductor in the cable to the shielding, wire twist rules, etc.), then they aren't really Cat6/7 jacks, anyway. Your installer might know this, and might not want to go to the extra trouble if terminating those cables in full compliance with the standard.

Future of copper Ethernet

By the way, copper network cable has plenty of life ahead of it, out to 50 Gb/s or 100 Gb/s (well over 10 Gigabytes per second), depending on the standard and the cable. Ethernet over optical fiber follows essentially the same roadmap--same speeds--running out for several years, then jumps to bandwidth like 400Gb/s and higher. Who knows if copper will continue to support those kinds of speeds. But are you really worried about being able to move so much data around your home network that 50Gb/s or 100Gb/s couldn't meet your needs? So you can install fiber if you really want to, but you're going to pay a lot more for every port for a zero or negligible benefit if you go that route.

Having said all that, I actually do strongly agree with the notion of running conduit so that you can pull new cable later. Because who knows what's really coming a few years out? One reasonable way to do this is to run the conduits straight up the wall channel from the wall boxes into the attic. You can pull cable straight up into the attic, then run it through the attic suspended from the roof trusses or even strung across the joists.

But in terms of future-proofing, take a look at the Ethernet Roadmap document from the Ethernet Alliance.

RJ45 is all Newegg & TigerDirect offer on their Cat7's, so I'd have to say no problem with the old connectors. And, your computers won't take anything else...without a specific expansion card being installed.

Cat & whatever number is just for Category & level speed or data transfer rate, none of that has anything to do with the end connectors. There are a variety of end connectors depending on the equipment they're attached to, you only want something that fits your computers, Router & Modem.

So yes, you can simply clip-off the old connectors & replace them later with GG45, ARJ45 or whatever else the future might have that utilizes your twisted pairs. Your Cat7's do have room for another 2 increases...IF they even happen, copper's on the way out. You'll be happy for a while.

I think Cat7 was a warning to replace everything, just buying everyone a little more time. But, Digital is the future & your planned wires won't do diddly in that future & will need to be replaced entirely with fiber optics, since those can't use any connectors that copper used.

If you see yourself there for 10-years or more. Have the electrician run the cables in conduit so you can drag out the old & slide in the new.


How do I remove a pole that's rusted into a sleeve in the ground? I have a square metal pole (probably 3x3 inches) that sits in the ground in a metal sleeve. It's been there for a long time and I want to pull it out. In order to prep for this I've been soaking between the pole and sleeve with WD-40.

The suggestion that's been made is that I use a Farm / Automotive Construction (Jeep or 4x4) Jack and then tie a rope around the pole and jack it out. Problem is I don't know how you would tie the rope around the pole. The solution does seem reasonable though.

My objective is to get the pole out of the ground. If you think that the rope and jack is the right answer can you describe how to tie it? Otherwise if you have a better idea I'd love to hear it.

Instead of using a rope to wrap the pipe I would use a piece of heavy chain. The technique is to wrap the chain around the pipe several times and then connect the ends up short together leaving enough of a loop to poke a timber such as a 4x4 through the loop. Use a 4x4 about 8 to 10 feet long and use it as a lever over the top of a short fulcrum post. If the ground is soft you may may need to lay a 2 to 3 foot length of plank flat on the ground under the fulcrum. Arrange the chain loop so it binds tight against itself and around the metal post and use the long 4x4 as a lever to lift the post up some. You then repeatedly reposition the chain loop lower down on the pipe and lever again to lift a step at a time.

Try Kroil from Kano labs. Works the best for fully rusted parts on our tractors and other machines.


What kind of bathroom tile is this, and what kind of drill bit does it require? I believe ceramic and porcelain tiles are the most common, but this looks like it might be some kind of polished stone. Will a carbide bit work on this tile, or does it require a diamond-tipped bit?

I still don't know entirely what type of stone this is, but a 1/4" carbide-tipped hammer drill bit went through it with no problem, and no cracking. I didn't end up using a hammer drill, just an impact driver. The main challenge is that the bit wanders at the beginning, but I think that is a general challenge of drilling in tile.

It's Hammer Time
A hammer drill, with an appropriate bit, is the tool of choice here. A regular drill (trust me...I've learned the hard way) will have a hard time (pun intended) getting through tile, no matter what type of bit you use.
If you are using a typical ~ 18V battery-powered drill/driver, see if the same manufacturer has a hammer drill so that you can share batteries and save a few $. Or see if one of your neighbors has a hammer drill that they can lend you for a one-time job.


Where can I install a house humidifier? I want to install a house humidifier.  Right now I'm thinking of buying an Aprilaire 600.  But my house set up does not look anything like the videos I've seen.  Are the vents behind the insulation?  See picture.  I'm thinking of putting it right above the drain pump.  Would that work?

Yes, the ducts are behind that silver insulation.  Cutting the Aprilaire 600 in above the condensation pump as you suggested would be ideal.

Instead of a whole-house humidifier, how about spending the money on sealing your house's air leaks? That will have an effect of increasing the indoor relative humidity , while simultaneously lowering your heating and air conditioning bills; it will eventually pay for itself if you stay in the house long enough and if your house is very leaky (and I'm guessing it is if you're wanting to install a whole-house humidifier). You'll save money instead of spending money to buy more electricity and water to run the humidifier, and you'll also avoid add ing risk to your house; purposely adding moisture into a house increases the mold risk--especially a modern wood-framed house that includes a lot of components made out of OSB, paper-faced drywall, and particleboard.


Can I add a "C-Wire" to boiler with this device? https://www.amazon.com/FAST-STAT-Common-Thermostat-Extender-Connection/dp/B01N6ERM04/ref=pd_sim_60_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=D3D121DG0B4379V2TRC6

On the surface it appears that it will work.
Here is a picture of the box for that zone. I see power coming in (top), existing two wires from the thermostat (top brown) and wires going to pump (bottom). Is this considered a dry contact switch? It's not clear how I would hook up such a device to this though.

[![the following is a schematic of your control system.  The center item you need to purchase and install.  It also needs 110-volts.Good Luck.  P.

It appears to me that it would work.  Leave the big wires alone.  It's the two small stat wires that you will be working with. Treat those two wires as the first example shows in the instructions, the two wire example. Good Luck. P.


Installing light switch that requires neutral wire - wire is continuous through box I have a new switch that requires a neutral.  There is a neutral wire in the box, in the back, but it's continuous -- comes in one side and goes out the other.  Is the proper procedure to cut it, then bundle the two ends along with the neutral going to the switch? And then cap the new bundle of course.

You are in conduit, which changes everything.

Nope, you can't cut it.  You don't have enough length remaining.  Both stubs will be illegally short and you would then have to replace both of them.

However, what you can do is replace just one half of the run, left or right, whichever one is easier to fish/pull.  Continue using the original wire on the other half of the run.

Identify which one is easier to replace by opening up both connecting boxes, and push and pull on the white wire from here.  You will get tactile feeling on which one moves easier.  While you're there, see if there is an abundance of slack in those boxes and you can just move wire around.  The legal absolute bare minimum is 3" of insulated wire sticking out beyond the surface of the  wall at each box.

Then on the "easy end" pull the slack out of the old wire, and lash it to the new wire with electrical tape at least 6-8", as long as you can. Streamline the "nose" so it doesn't hang up on things.  Then, from this box, pull the old wire out, dragging the new wire in.

Shove the old wire down the other pipe back to center, because you probably pulled all the slack out of the other box. That box needs that slack.  Then unsplice old and new wire, position everything and cut all the wires so they are 8" beyond the surface of the wall.

You could also leave the old wire and double back from the next or previous box on that conduit.  I do the "pass thru and double back" trick all the time to reduce practical box crowding, but that won't help you here.

Since you will be making all your joins at a wire nut, you might as well use stranded THHN wire which is more flexible and easier to handle, there's also no stiffness penalty for #12 wire.  Must be white or gray.

I am in the same position, Roger. I am not an authority on the NEC, but I have been researching extensively after reading Harper - Reinstate Monica's answer and I have to say there are other sources saying it is perfectly fine to use splicing to extend the wire to sufficient length to satisfy NEC 300.14. See, e.g.: https://www.facebook.com/mikeholtenterprises/videos/2721769841295232.
The code section 300.14 simply says there must be 6" of "free conductor" running from the entry point of the box, and for certain size boxes, at least 3" that extends out past the wall. But, does "free conductor" mean unbroken conductor? Well, I cannot find anyone (other than Harper - Reinstate Monica) suggesting that if a wire winds up being cut too short inside a box that the code requires completely re-running it from its source. That seems like overkill and makes no logical sense from a safety/engineering perspective, assuming the splice is done properly.
And if it doesn't require that, then there is nothing wrong with the OP's idea. He could simply cut the neutral wire as long as he adds sufficient length to both ends to satisfy 300.14.
I welcome anyone to correct me if I'm wrong here, but I think before jumping straight to running new wire that less labor intensive means should be considered, and citing published sources would be great too.


What are the practical differences between 1/2" and 3/4" pipe between a water softener and water heater? I purchased a WaterBoss ProSeries water softener and plan to install it immediately before my water heater as described in this post.

The instructions for the water softener indicate that 3/4" pipe must be used between the water softener and the water heater. However, the existing pipe supplying the water heater (shown in blue) is 1/2".

Is there any reason I would need to step up to 3/4" between the softener and the heater?

I can't think of a reason, but I'm also a novice whose confidence is his weakness.

P.S. Bonus points if you read that last bit in Emperor Palpatine's voice.

Provided the line coming into your house from the city main is 3/4" and inside your house the line changes to 1/2" there would be a significant increase in flow rate and possible pressure when water demand is higher in your house.
Run a new 3/4" line to the softener as described.  They could require the extra flow rate when it regenerates (which could use ~25 gallons/~0.11 m3) when it does this.

Your city inspectors may require you to "follow the installation instructions." Otherwise the only advantage to using 3/4" pipe from the unit to the 1/2" supply is the slight reduction in possible "water hammer" when demand fluctuates. So if permitted by the inspectors (or if you are doing without inspections/permit) go ahead and use the smaller pipe.


How to run electrical wire in concrete ceilng? I live in a condo with popcorn (a.k.a California) ceilings. Next week I'm having them scraped, spackled, and painted smooth.
I also want to hang a ceiling light fixture (the dining area desperately needs more light). Since I'm having the ceiling done, I thought I might ask the contractor to run a wire as well. What is the best way to go about it?

Here is the picture I have in mind:

Cut a shallow groove in the ceiling to the nearest wall with electrical box nearby. Snake a wire from electrical box to the ceiling, then lay wire in the groove and spackle it over. Install the fixture (I have not decided on exact type yet, probably something hanging like a chandalier) with concrete bolts. The spot where the wire comes out of the ceiling would be concealed by the fixture.

Does this make sense? Is there a better way to do it?

While that might work, I doubt your HOA would allow grooving the ceiling because the concrete is part of the common structure.

Instead, install flat conduit.

Or flatwire.

(source: flatwireready.com)

Or maybe you might like a beam which could conceal a wire.

Do a little trench in the wall / ceiling and bury a proper plastic conduit, nexy tou'll just have to 'pull' new wire


What is the best way to incrementally finish an unfinished basement? my wife and I are in the process of buying our first house. The house has a 750 square foot unfinished basement (cinderblock walls and concrete floor), and is brand new (rather, it will be brand new when it is finished in a week or two). We don't have the option of having the contractors finish the basement for us because we are using a program for first time home buyers, but we would like to finish the basement within the first two years that we live there. Unfortunately, we have received a quote of $30,000 - $45,000 to finish the basement. What we would like to do instead of tackling the whole project at once is to tackle the project in smaller, more affordable pieces. Here is what we would like to see accomplished:

We would like to convert the basement into 4 smaller spaces (with walls)
We would like to run electrical outlets every several feet throughout the outer walls (I am a bit of an electronics nut)
We would like to insulate the outer walls and hang drywall
We would like to install some kind of flooring (I am hoping for hardwood as adding hardwood to the whole house is my next major project for the house)
I suppose we need to add some sort of drop ceiling, but I am not sure.

My question is compound. First of all, is there any major pitfall to doing this project incrementally that I may not have thought of? The second part is which order would be best for tackling these projects. Lastly, Which parts of this project should I (as a not terribly handy person) attempt to take on by myself in order to maximize my savings while taking on the least risk of screwing the job up? Thanks for the help!

First, handle drainage. If you want to install a sump pump, perimeter drain, or water proof the walls, now is the time to do that. You should also install any plumbing drain lines at this point.

Next, framing. Concrete transmits moisture, so use pressure treated, and a styrofoam underlay that would normally go under the sill plate, to keep the walls dry. With pressure treated wood, you need galvanized nails to avoid a chemical reaction that would eat a normal nail. Make sure the framing is designed for the drywall (16" OC studs, nailing edge in the corners and around the ceiling perimeter). And make sure the walls are positioned/sized for any plumbing or other utility lines. For exterior walls, the thicker the wall (2x6 instead of 2x4) the more insulation you can include.

At this point, utilities go in, including plumbing, electrical, hvac, and communications. I'm a strong believer in conduit for running communications lines (like ethernet, catv, and phone) so that you can upgrade those without opening the walls or running wires all over the floor. Note that with more outlets, you will need more circuits, and copper isn't cheap.

Insulation is done after all the utilities are finished. If you have water proofed the walls, then I don't have much against the standard fiberglass insulation. Actually, I like fiberglass because it's easy to work with as a DIYer, relatively cheap, and replacing a piece or temporarily moving it (e.g. in the attic) is simple. However, with moisture concerns, or if you live in a northern climate with harsh winters, then I'd favor the spray foam. The spray foam has the downside of being difficult (impossible?) to remove, but it functions as a vapor barrier and leaves no cracks that air can get around.

After this, you have drywall, paint, doors and trim, and touch-up paint. I like to paint the walls and trim separately so there's less work on edging.

As for the flooring, you would usually do this before or after the trim. With hardwood, you would often do the flooring first, and then the trim goes up tight against it. With carpeting, you would install your trim 1/2" above the floor and the carpet installers would install the carpet right under that.

Having watched many DIY TV and HGTV shows, I have come to the conclusion that a lot of headaches and problems in any area of renovating can simply be made obsolete with having the right tools doing the research needed for the project and better yet having a friend or family member who has some knowledge and ability in the area.

Framing the walls will be the most important task. Take your time and always measure twice, cut once and always check your level status. A 6' level or longer is a plus when doing this type of renovation because a non-level, out-of-square wall will make putting up the dry wall a nightmare.

Some tasks like running wire and connection to the panel should be left to a professional and always remember any serious renovation where plumbing, electrical and structure is involved requires permits.

Simple plumbing can be done by a novice with a little online direction or a day course at Home Depot, for instance. YouTube is awesome for this.

Always prepare your wallet for hidden costs like extra lumber, insulation, and drywall for instance since many times the wrong cut can mean throwing away that material.

For wall insulation I would recommend the Roxul brand; it is the green stuff. Not only is it a green product it is moisture resistant, mold and mildew proof, fire repellent, and has an awesome R-value and is nicer to use than the pink stuff since it is denser. It also has better sound insulating qualities so it would be great for a home theater room used many times. Of course thick plastic vapor barrier and acoustic sealer around the bottom is a must and tons of tuck tape for the seams.

Remember when you're stumped, use the web or ask a buddy these both work to help you through a challenging section.

For the floor I would recommend using the Dri-fit tiles: they are a bit pricey but they are also a moisture barrier and sub-flooring in one.  Never tile or lay any finished flooring directly on cement. A sub-floor not only helps from mold growth and damaging the flooring like hardwood for instance, it allows the cement to breath which is also important for not having mold/mildew growth and smell.

The best renovations are the ones done right the first time. If you're spending good money you might as well make the best looking end product.  Remember one thing you may not see all the stuff underneath but if done right you will have the satisfaction and stress relief that you have made something that you and your family can love for a very long time.

If you contract anything out make sure you get many estimates done and have references from each contractor; even go as far as calling the other customers up and asking if they liked the person's work.  Going with the lowest price is not always the smartest choice: you want experience and knowledge and never pay full price until the job is completed and you're satisfied; this is how many people get screwed.  Watch the progress if you can: many home owners open their house for contractors and than leave coming home to a finished room or addition and they have done nothing but laid crap over the old stuff and then ask for payment, then you find out a few months later you have the same problems you called them in to fix.  Kind of like placing a band-aid on a gushing wound.  Good Luck and God Bless.

In most cases the exterior walls are the first thing to go up. Run the wiring and plumbing if needed insulation and then sub-flooring and drywall comes last.  Try to use 2x6 on all the exterior walls to increase your insulation R-value 2x4 for room walls and other barrier walls is fine.  Remember not to destroy any structural beams/ floor joists and watch your HVAC piping and plumbing.


Can I replace the engineer's I-Beam recommendation with a different one? I'm removing a load bearing wall and the structural engineer recommended a W8x15 steel I-beam.  It would save me a lot of effort if I could use a 6" beam instead.  So I'm trying to calculate the deflection of the W8x15 beam and then find a W6x?? beam with similar deflection.

I've found the specs for various wide flange beams here, but I can't find a max deflection equation that uses the elastic section modulus provided in the specs.

So, can someone point me in the right direction?

I think I figured it out.  I was thrown off by the Elastic Section Modulus.

Anyway, the deflection is calculated using the following parameters:

W = load

L = length

E = Young's Modulus

I = moment of inertia

And the equation for max deflection is:

I'm trying to find a beam with the same maxdef or smaller.  I can ignore W and L because they are the same regardless of I-beam.  Young's Modulus E is a property of the steel used, so it is also the same regardless of I-beam and can be ignored (this is what I misunderstood).  This means, the only variable I have to worry about is I.  I can see in the equation that I is part of the denominator, so if I increases, deflection decreases.  So I just need a W6 beam with a larger I than what the W8x15 beam has.

Final answer:  The only W6 beam with a greater I than the W8x15 beam is the W6x25,


Removing pole and concrete base from yard I debated between putting this question here or on SE Gardening and Landscape, but I think this question will be a better fit for this site... Let me know if I need to move it.

So I'm now leading into my third summer at this rental home in North Carolina and I've been think about what I can do to make mowing my lawn a bit easier. I'm currently using a push mower for about a third of an acre because I don't have a garage or a shed -- more like a utility closet to store my mower.

One thing that's always bugged me about the backyard is this roughly 3 foot tall metal pole sticking out of the middle of the yard. I've tried digging under it to see how deep it goes and there seems to be at least 6-10 inches of a concrete base below ground level.  The only thing stopping me from going even deeper and really trying to remove it is that I have no idea what it actually is doing there.  There also seems to be a small landscaping stone on one side of it.

So my question is, can anyone figure out what the purpose of this may have been?  Additionally, will I end up running into any electrical or gas lines if I try to dig this thing out?

Side away from the house

Nob or nobs on side facing the house

Top down view

Some clipped off line?

This is the remnants of a natural gas or propane grill, gas heater, or perhaps a gas lamp. The flared tubing fitting and old control valve stem are the giveaways here.

Look around the structures adjacent to the yard for signs of a pipe with a valve for which you cannot ascertain a purpose, so you can at least try to confirm that any leftover fuel supply line is shut off. Although I doubt anyone would be callous enough to cap, bury, and abandon a live gas line, it is not out of the realm of possibilities. There is also the chance that the fuel supply came from a portable tank...

Either way, I would start digging until it was excavated, then chuck it. If in the course of digging you encounter an old pipe or buried tubing, be careful and try to locate the source to ensure it is shut off and safe to leave as-is.

My guess is that this is the remnants of an old pole for a removable clothesline, either one where they had two of them or the other end attached to the house;

Or an umbrella style:

Very common back in the days before everyone had a clothes dryer, still popular as a way to save energy. Sunshine and dry air are free...

Could also be a base for a removable tether ball pole, but usually not in the middle of the lawn like that, unless it's been so long since anyone used it that the lawn grew in around it. Might go down 18-24" and with that much concrete, it's going to be heavy.

Removing it is likely something you would want to clear with your landlord. My guess would be that the only reason it is still there is because it's a lot of work to dig it out.


Can different gauge wiring be used in the same circuit? I am extending a lighting and outlet circuit in a basement. The current setup has the following characteristics

15 amp. circuit breaker (200 amp service)
4 existing lighting fixtures using CFL bulbs (~ 20 W each)
1 existing double duplex outlet box (no regular appliance in use)
14/2 and 14/3 NM cabling (lighting switched, outlets not) throughout
less than 100 ft of cabling so far

I plan on adding three lighting fixtures (for LED spots, less than 20W each) and one duplex outlet. I will tap off one of the existing boxes to get both a switched and a constant hot line.  Additional cabling will be less than 30 ft.

Is there any reason I cannot use 12/2 and 12/3 NM cabling for this project (I happen to have some on hand)?

Is there any practical benefit (e.g., less voltage drop in this small section of line)?
Is there any disadvantage in doing so, other than higher cost of cabling  and the slightly harder handling of thicker wires?

If the cabling were concealed, would the presence of a 12 gauge wire in an outlet box or fixture convey something to an electrician or future DIYer that is misleading based on the existence of unseen 14 gauge wiring upstream?

The OP has a great reason for using 12 ga. wire.  He already has some on hand, so using it is cheaper than going to get new 14 ga. wire.  It's perfectly safe to use it.  Don't worry about confusing future workers.  If they want to add something to the circuit, they will have to go turn off the circuit breaker first, and then they will see they are working with a 15 amp circuit.   Then, if they have any brains / experience at all, they will see that there is 14 gauge wire hooked up to that 15 amp circuit breaker, so they will know not to upgrade it to a 20 amp breaker.  Your plan is perfectly fine.

I don't know why everyone is saying this is okay, and trivializing the matter of "confusing future electricians".   This is a big deal.   You should not mix gauges of wires in the same circuit.   Regardless of what code says, I guarantee this will not pass inspection in some jurisdictions and depending on how bad a day the inspector is having.    Not recommended.

14-gauge wire is cheap compared to 12-ga.  You should save the 12-ga wire for when you need it.   Or sell what you have and buy new 14-ga.... profit!


What is this soft, sticky wood finish and how do I remove it? We have a second-hand table with a mysterious finish.

The wood underneath is pale, possibly pine. With the finish, it's a slightly darker and "warmer" colour. The table is not antique; I'd guess only about 20 years old.

The finish is soft, so you can easily score lines in it with a fingernail. It feels slightly sticky if you just press it with a finger. It becomes VERY sticky if it gets wet, and will permanently stick to any paper left on it, so the paper can only be removed by painstakingly scrubbing it into shreds. It also turns white after getting wet, for an hour or so, then fades back to brown.

Because of the stickiness it attracts dirt horribly, and is covered in dark grime which is very hard to remove. The grime can be removed by lengthy scrubbing with a rough sponge and Flash kitchen spray, but then the finish partly comes off too.

We tried Nitromors paint and varnish remover, followed by white spirit. It made some progress at removing the finish, but left it patchy and smeary and not completely removed; I think we've had better results with Flash kitchen spray.

Can you help me identify the finish, and recommend a way to remove it properly?

By "White spirit", do you mean turpentine or mineral spirits? If that had no effect on it... My best guess would be that it's improperly cured polyurethane, or water-based polyurethane that wasn't mixed properly. Additionally, polyurethane doesn't take to pine well and is pretty resistant to being removed chemically, so there's another pointer in that direction.

You can try denatured alcohol. If it comes up with denatured alcohol, it's probably improperly mixed shellac.

What I'd probably do if I were you would be to sand it down completely back to bare wood, first with 80 grit and then 120 and 220 grits. I know it's a pain in the butt, but it'll provide the best finish overall. Then stain it and finish it again with something that isn't polyurethane... if you stain it, I'd recommend a lacquer finish like Deft, and then a really nice set of absorbent coasters so that you don't keep getting the surface wet. ;) Or if you do use polyurethane, use a satin spray in a rattlecan and bring it indoors to a moisture and temperature controlled environment to cure for 48 hours before you put it back into use. And your last option would be to paint it (after sanding back to bare wood, or it won't adhere!) with an oil-based enamel and a bit of penetrol.

The existing finish (shellac, linseed oil etc) may be affected by your cleaning solution. Consider using Acrylic finishes, as they, being water based, are less likely to be affected by spirit based cleaning products...


How can I soundproof a sliding bedroom door? Does anyone could suggest a way to completely soundproof a bedroom sliding door? I am investigating on car door system, when door is almost close at the end, it will push against door frame to ensure no space would appear so that it could become waterproof and soundproof, but deploy this kind of method is very time consuming and high risk of failure rate as there is no commercial available for this kind of door system. Perhaps someone who have such experience could give me some example?

Sound or Water "Proofing" is very difficult. Cheap & simple peel & stick Weather Stripping will greatly reduce air (the majority of sound transfer) & water intrusion. But, to get anything close to "Proofing" you need to have precision full contact around the entire door perimeter.

Sorry but, Star Trek was only a TV show. I'd suggest that you check with companies like this who are the masters of what you're asking & yes you can buy their stuff off the shelf.


What could be tripping multiple GFCI breakers? I have 14 ground fault circuits split 7 on each side of my panel. I have recently had 5 or six trip on the left side and 1 or 2 on the right. It happens at all hours. It appears I have some kind of problem mainly on the left.
 It is a Square D box with all square D breakers and a single ground stake.
I have had all trip in bad storms before. Thinking maybe I need to add more ground stakes.

Any ideas of what could be tripping the breakers like this?

So Pat, the OP has not been seen since the day they posted, in Oct 2013. Hopefully this will be of help to new viewers

I had to comment that I highly doubt they have 14 GFCI breakers in their panel. I would all but guarantee that they are referring to AFCI breakers, and they are experiencing nuisance trips. Could even be that the breakers are the early SqD AFCI breakers that were recalled. This was very common of early AFCI breakers which is why you see so many subsequent incarnations.

I'll also add that grounding and bonding, or the absence thereof, would have NOTHING to do with nuisance tripping of AFCI or GFCI breakers.

Like all things when it comes to electricity of any kind, always check the ground cable, wire, spike or grounding source. A good ground is needed for sensitive GFI breakers. They are super sensitive. Also replacing some weak breakers is possibly necessary. Good luck and I would add a ground.


How to wire a 4 prong outlet in my generator to 3 prong dryer? I have a generator that I want to be able to run most of the house on in the event of a hurricane, I live in SE Texas.
I also have a couple of welders that I plug into my dryer outlet via 8/2 Romex.
So I have an extension cord for my welders, 25 feet, 3 prong to 3 prong.
My generator has a female 4 prong outlet. My question is how do I use a three wire cable, one is bare ground to the 4 prong plug that I just bought?
I would rather not have to buy another cable and change the dryer outlet if I don’t have to.
Thanks.

I hate to break it to you...
But this really needs to be done better than what you plan.
Let's tackle the big ones first.
There MUST be an interlock to protect linemen
Electricity is distributed at high voltage (50,000V) which is knocked down to medium (10,000V) at a transformer, then down to 120/240V at another transformer.
It's absolutely possible for a generator to push electricity back out onto the grid.  When it reaches a transformer it'll just go through in reverse, so your generator will cause a 10,000V section to light up at 10,000 volts.  And that will "light up" the linemen who's out there at 4am away from family working to get your power back on.
Some consider that impolite.
A lot of homeowners get this genius idea that they'll just have a procedure: "Turn THIS off, then plug in THIS, then start the gen, then turn on THAT".  They've got it all worked out.  But when The Stuff Hits The Fan and the pressure's on in the rainy dark to get the lights on, fog of war, it ain't working, trying anything, or you're away and the wife asks the neighbor to help.  The long experience of accident investigators is that procedure lists Just Don't Work.
As such, a line-generator interlock is mandatory.
For a lot of panels, this is actually pretty easy - I had somebody who had run out of circuits on a klutzy $550 10-switch Reliance transfer switch, and the panel was a Siemens.  I instantly realized the Reliance was unnecessary, the whole panel could be switched with an ECSBPK01 interlock (go price that lol) or possibly an ECSBPK02 if >125A was needed. Even with the needed breakers it'd have been under $100.
Get us some pics of your panel, and we can see if there's an equally easy answer for yours.
No Suicide Cords.  Ever.  Use an inlet.
You don't want to ever have a cord that has males (pointy ones) on both ends.  It is a matter of time before tragedy happens.  Things which  take power have pointy ends, so "your house" should have the pointy ends.  You should not be using a normal socket and a suicide cord, you should be using a "reverse socket" called an inlet, and a normal cord.
When the inlet is combined with the interlock, it is impossible for the prongs to ever be energized.  This makes it safe.
There are 2 ways to get an inlet.  First, they sell actual inlets, that mount where you please and look a lot like a socket but have prongs instead of holes.  They can be a bit pricey.
So instead you can just use literally a cord and plug. You have to terminate the flexible cord in a junction box with a strain relief.  And you need to put some thought into avoiding physical damage when the cord's not in use.  But it's just that easy to Git-r-Dun.
Yeah, it's legal for flexible cordage to be part of a building's wiring, if it's something that is frequently connected, disconnected or moved.  NEC 400.6-8 somewhere in there.
Permanent wiring, done temporarily
Very often I need a circuit to operate for a few hours. I just use proper permanent wiring methods so it's OK to run forever.  Then, when the crisis is over, I undo all the wiring and change it back.
This has the elegance of making the "interlock" question moot, since you are de-wiring the circuits from the grid.
Knock a knockout out of the side of my panel, run a cord from the generator into it, put a cable clamp on it. Legal.  When the power fails, turn the main off, take the cover off the panel, identify the circuits I want to power, pull their hots and neutrals off the breakers and bars, and nut them to the generator hot and neutral. Close up the panel. Now those circuits are permanently rewired to run of generator only.
Or, if there was a disconnect to de-energize the main feed coming into the panel, I'd do that.  Then yank the main feed hot wires off and cap 'em off.  I'd attach the generator supply wires there, and button the panel back up.  Now the whole panel is permanently rewired to run off generator only.  Of course as soon as the power returns, I'd reverse it.
All the stuff I'm saying is Code legal, except the first one if you are connecting 15A or 20A branch circuits to a 30A generator breaker, that's over-fusing obviously. But it may come down to choosing your code violation wisely.
Romex/NM cable as cordage
You're familiar with cordage; it's appliance cords.  It's stranded and very flexible and durable.  You're supposed to use that for temporary or flexible cables e.g. to appliances or between generators and inlets.   It's also more expensive.
Romex/NM/UF cable should not be used for that, because it is solid wire - it's not flexible, and repeated flexing will fatigue and break it.  It's also not made to be underfoot, pulled on, or any of the daily indignities that cordage suffers daily.
Use the Romex to run in the walls to the panel, or an isolated run between an outlet and inlet/cord/plug.   For instance once you upgrade your dryer socket, you could use the #10 Romex to continue as permanent wiring to a convenient location for a welder receptacle.  Turns out you can have 2+ 30A receps on the same circuit.
But speaking of that...
That old NEMA 10 dryer recep is dangerous as heck
We see loose neutral wires on here all the time.
Now, it's common for people to 'bootleg ground' where (at an outlet) they connect ground to neutral so the tester reads good.   The problem with a bootlegged ground is, if you get a loose neutral wire, the neutral floats at 120V and so does the ground/chassis of the machine.
Now, the obsolete NEMA 10 uses hot-hot-neutral.  No ground. But when grounding came along, the appliance manufacturers asked to be allowed to simply attach the appliance chassis to neutral.  Well, that's bootlegging ground!  And yeah, it has the same problem, and from time to time, this kills somebody.
However this is easy to fix.  #1 change the dryer cord to 4-prong NEMA 14-30, and remove the internal bootleg jumper from the dryer.   #2 run a plain old #10 ground wire from the dryer socket junction box back to the panel or any other #10 ground wire going back to the panel... water heater, grounding electrode, metal conduit, whatevs.  #3 change the socket to NEMA 14-30.
Once it's changed to 14-30, it's legal to use with both dryers (hot-hot-neutral) and welders (hot-hot-ground).  Since it has both.


Can I smooth a knockdown-textured ceiling with spackle? I recently had new drywall put up in the top floor of my house to cover a cracked plaster ceiling with popcorn texturing. I used a contractor, and when asked about a texture for the drywall my preferred option (smooth ceilings) was very expensive while a knockdown texture was not. I ultimately opted for the knockdown texture due to the cost difference.
I've been looking into doing something on my own to smooth out the drywall (while hanging it myself would probably not have been a good idea due to my skill level, I can do some other tasks adequately). Most options seem pretty involved, but I think that I could handle a skim coat if it's necessary.
But the skim coat process seems very similar to using spackle for small repairs in walls, which led me to wonder: would using spackle for smoothing a ceiling that has knockdown texturing work? There must be some drawbacks, or reasons it won't work at all, or else I would expect to see spackle as an option when googling ways to smooth the texture.
So I guess the best formulation of my question is: can I use spackle and a putty knife to smooth out my ceiling at all? And if it's possible, what are the drawbacks that make it such a (seemingly) unpopular option?

Spackle might work, however it is specially designed for repairing holes and cracks and is more expensive than the product that is normally used for doing a skim coat: regular joint compound or topping compound.
You should do a bit of research and plan to practice with wide trowels/mud knives if you intend to do this yourself. Hanging the drywall is not the skill-heavy part of the job; mudding and sanding IS. Professional plasterers spend years/decades acquiring the skills to skim coat, it is probably the most experience/skill dependent craft in the trade...

A tradesman would remove the old ceiling and replace it with a new sheet of gyprock. An easy job if you have the equiptment, like a lifter to get the sheet in place.


How can I detect reverse polarity on an ungrounded receptacle? Recently moved into a 1950s-built house and am swapping out some of the older receptacles.

On one particular ungrounded circuit there are four receptacles. The first two are as expected - the two black wires were connected to the gold screws in the existing receptacles and the two white wires to the two silver screws. However, for the last two receptacles this was reversed - the incoming black wires were hooked up to the silver screws with the black hooked up to the gold screws.

In installing the new receptacles I switched the wiring so that the black wires are connected to the gold screws and the white wires to the silver screws.

My questions:

How does one test to determine whether the black wire is really hot or if there was some mixup within the wall? I know there are receptacle testers, but I've heard that the polarity testing does not work for ungrounded receptacles.
Is there any harm in having reverse polarity on an ungrounded wire? Is there potential harm to the devices that use the receptacle? Currently, these two receptacles are not being used, but I plan on plugging in a TV, DVD player, etc. into one of them.

It is difficult to test without a ground reference.  One way to do this is with a very sensitive (very high impedance) voltmeter such as a digital voltmeter.  Make absolutely sure you are not grounded (and no pets or children are around).  Make sure the digital voltmeter is definitely on the voltage setting.  Plug one probe into one hole of the outlet, while the other probe is stretched out some distance.  There should be a "phantom voltage" reading of somewhere between a few volts to nearly the full line voltage (for you in North America that would be around 120 volts) when plugged into the hot side.  On the cold (neutral) side, there can also be some phantom voltage but it should be much less.

There is a potential harm in having the polarity reversed.  Lamps with screw in bulb sockets should always be polarized  so the rim of the socket (which is more easily touched) is connected to the cold side.  That way to be shocked you'd have to stick your finger all the way inside the socket (you would not do that).  With the polarity reversed, the hazard exists at the rim, which may have some exposure even with the bulb all the way in.

The hazard can also exist with older appliances that have the cold side intentionally connected to the appliance metallic frame.  That was the only way to make them safer before the grounded outlets became widespread.  But it required the outlet polarity be correct.

You can mitigate the hazard by using a ground fault current interrupting (GFCI) receptacle even without a ground wire available.  These devices do their intended function even without a ground wire attached.  The test button also should work (it cheats by running its 5ma current test between hot on the load side and neutral on the supply side ... not ground).  If you find a device where the test function fails to trip it, do not use it.  Mark the device as "UNgrounded" for circuits with no ground available.  Do not use an alternate ground source that is not part of the supply cable for this purpose.  Never use the neutral as a ground.

The most common hazard to people is being grounded when coming into contact with one wire that happens to be hot.  The GFCI will trip in this situation even though the current is as low as 2ma.  If a metal appliance has internally faulted where a hot wire has nicked or damaged insulation and is contacting the frame, this hazard exists with the frame of the appliance.  In grounded situations the ground wire would cause that to short circuit.

The methods above can kill you. Instead, just buy a
Electrical Receptacle Wall Plug AC Outlet Ground Tester from Amazon for $5.


How can I repair cracks at corners of tiled walls? I recently had a bathroom renovated these cracks are appearing in the corner of shower cubicle where two walls meet . Obviously workmanship not been good but is this easily fixed with a reliable long lasting result.

Thank you

The area on top looks like it was sealed with white caulk.  You can re-seal this with white silicon caulk.  The other cracks look like it's grout.  Do you have any of the grout the contractor used?  IMHO, clean the old grout out and regrout. I've never had much luck getting new grout to stick to old.  You can also run caulk over it as well but this will show up.


Exterior Door Width is Shorter than Jamb I have an exterior door with a large gap to the strike-side jamb. When closed I can see a 1/4" inch gap from top to bottom. Fortunately the dead bolt works but the latch bold is just hanging in there. It's as basement door and I am need to fix it before casing it.
I was thinking of adding 1/4" strip on strike plate side to make jamb smaller but not sure if that right way to do it. Try to search on line but was not able to find answer for my specific issue.
Also, thinking about weather strip that I may need to take out and replace it back on top of new 1/4" strip and what about outer side. Do I need to add the strip on outer side too?

Unless I am mis-understanding what you are calling the door jamb.  The door jamb is the vertical strip nailed to the door casing to provide the door stop when closing.  It would be easy to replace the jamb with a thicker piece one (about 3/8" thicker).  I would not shim the jamb.
Weatherstrip is normally added on the exterior side of the door.


Water heater not staying hot more than 10mins I live in a one bedroom apt. Our water heater is not the normal 40gallon but a smaller 20gallon. When we moved in it was hot for at least 30-45 mins. Now it stays hot for less then 10. My maintance man came and "fixed" it which it only got hotter faster and then got cold. Obviously he only turned up the heat. What can I do besides continually bother them or just replace the damn thing myself? He told me yesterday that I'm using too much water, yet I think I've been using less.

TL; DR: When the temperature is colder outside, your cold water is colder so you have to use more hot water for the same shower temperature.

Facts:

A shower head puts out 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM) (or close to it).
To get the temperature you want, you have to mix hot and cold water.
In the summer, the "cold" water temp is much warmer than it is in the winter.

Given the above facts, consider this (numbers and calculations made up)...  In the summer, to get your shower where you want it, you need to mix 70 degree "cold" water with 120 degree "hot" water to get a final temperature of 100 degrees.  This means that you have to use about half hot and half cold, so 1.25 GPM cold and 1.25 GPM hot.  That means that 20 gallons of hot water will last (20 / 1.25 = ) about 15 minutes.  This doesn't match your 30-45 minutes, but just stay with me...  It's just an example.

In the winter, the incoming "cold" temperature is much cooler.  It could get down to 40 degrees.  When you mix the 40 degree water with 120 degree water to get a 100 degree shower, you don't need nearly as much cold water.  You still have to add up to 2.5 GPM for the shower head, so the ratio ends up being more like 0.5 GPM cold and 2 GPM of hot.  That will reduce your shower time to 10 minutes - a 50% drop, and nothing in the house has obviously changed.  You probably like the shower hotter than 100 degrees, so the ratio will end up using even more hot water.

So, regardless of what the real numbers are, in the summer you end up "having more hot water" even though your water heater hasn't changed at all.

Also

As this shows, you have been using more hot water even tho your total water consumption may have gone down because of the shorter usage time.

And if you're renting an apartment, you can't replace the water heater.  Plumbing and electrical repairs must be done by their personnel so they can remain liable for any problems.

Of course, you're right to complain. I don't know your locale, but radiator heating would be a main culprit depending on the setup. Other than that, this can also be due to a water leak, which you might hear as a constant hissing sound.

I've had pipe leaks under the concrete & sometimes you can hear those also hissing in the plumbing & also feel a warm or even hot spot on the floor with your bare foot.

One thing that will test for a water leak & get you a hot shower is to turn the hot water off at the water heater. It stops the water from leaving & lets the heater do a complete heating.

Turn the hot water back on only right when you need it & if there's a noticeable shower difference from before then a hot water line is definitely leaking. Label the water heater & keep the hot water off, especially if you're paying the utilities. You can use it this way until the leak is fixed for a semi-normal life.


How does the wiring in this light hookup? I'm trying to install this light in my house, but I don't know how the wiring works for it. The light has a switch on the front of it that controls both bulbs and the switch has two black wires coming out of it.
Two of the wires coming from the bulbs were tied together.
Here's a picture of the wiring on the back of the light. Any ideas?

Time to break out the multi-meter.  You can safely assume the two black wires from the switch are interchangeable.  But the white wires from the lamp sockets are not.  Cut that blog off that connects the two and test each side.  The outer metal ring needs to be the neutral and the center tab the hot.  Use the multi-meter to see which wire has continuance from either the ring or center tab.  Wire both center tabs (of the light socket) to one of the black wires from the switch.

To then wire the light to the wall.  The other black will then be wired to the hot (black) and the two free whites will be wired to the neutral.

Almost certainly was meant to be wired with hot to the two blacks, which run through the switch, and then the neutral to the two unbound whites.

But a several commenters said there are a number of concerns with what you show:

Scorch marks
A missing insulating sleeve for one of the bulb sockets
No clear ground connection, unless that's what the other two coupled white wires are for, in which case that's unusual.  Not to mention whatever that blob binding the two whites is looks suspicious.


Reducing risks of interior brick wall insulation? I was surprised to learn that that there are risks with insulating the interior walls in older all-brick houses - particularly in cold climates. This article outlines some of the issues:

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/insulating-old-brick-buildings

To summarize, the risks are:

Wooden joists sitting on (the now colder) brick will be wet from moist air condensing on the brick and the ends can rot
The inner layer (wythe) of brick will not be able to dry inwards. If the brick remains wet, it could fail (especially with freeze/thaw cycles)

These issues sound reasonable - however, articles refer to insulation in all-or-nothing terms. I'm wondering if there is some middle ground, to add some insulation to save some energy and increase comfort, without much risk of damaging the brick?

Could a vapour barrier be omitted, to allow for the brick to dry inwards?
Can a reduced level of insulation be used so the brick will still be warmed by the heat of the house?
Can walls have gaps in the insulation? e.g. leaving 12 inches at the top to warm the brick and help keep the joist ends dry?
Would techniques recommend for basement insulation be applicable? (e.g. use EPS or XPS board)

Any other safer options for interior insulation in an all-brick house?

A thermal resistant coating from outside may help to insulate the surface further more.


Why would I run out of water for a few seconds and then get full pressure back When I turn the water on for a few minutes I get great pressure and then the water totally stops.  After 2-30 seconds the water comes back on and seems fine for the duration.  At first I thought it was only in the shower but recently it has also happened on my outdoor faucet.

I have not changed anything except that we seemed to be getting a lot more sediment in the water so we totally replaced the whole house filter.  But the water was shutting off before that.

If you have well water, you almost certainly have a pressure tank. The well pump runs until the pressure in the tank (and the overall system) is up to a predesignated level, then shuts off. The tank pressure then pushes water through the system until the pressure drops to a lower predetermined level. Then the pump motor kicks in again. This is supposed to maintain a relatively even pressure at the faucets.

If your pressure tank is not functioning (there is an air valve and an internal separator between water and the air in the tank and the water, either of which can cease to work correctly) this can interfere with maintaining satisfactory pressure and can cause the pump motor to run too frequently. There is also a pressure guage/valve/relay setup, usually a short pipe stem off the main water line near the pressure tank.  If that pipe or valve get clogegd or optherwise stop working properly, the relay doesn't trip at the right time and the pressure can drop very low (even to zero) before pump kicks in again, raising the pressure.

You need someone to determine whether it is the tank or the pressure guage setup that is not functioning and act accordingly.  Tanks are several hundreds of dollars, but a pressure valve fix is much less.

We had the exact same problem! After having a handyman replace the pressure switch it still did not work. We ended up calling the well company and all they had to do was clean the "nipple"...Works great now!


Is temporarily reducing the water supply line an option when installing a water softener? I am installing a water softener in my house.  Currently we're getting the water supply from 1" PEX that has a service loop in the garage.

I built my own 1" PVC bypass system for a GE water softener (see attached photo); I had to use SharkBite-style connectors to terminate the PEX.  Today the system operates in bypass mode, because I didn't glue the joints square enough where the 1 inch brass valves mate to the water softener's 1 inch NPT input and output stems.

One of the household occupants has grown tired of hard water and demanded that the water softener be operational 'soon' (i.e. tonight).  AFAICT, this means I essentially have a couple of options...

Remake the PVC bypass with correct the angle; that's more work than I will get done tonight...
Use some stainless steel braided hose to bridge the gap, so I can compensate for the misaligned valves.

Option 2 seems to be the best, except for availability of parts.  Nobody in town (including Grainger and specialty plumbing supply stores) carry 1 inch braided hose.  My best option is at Lowe's... a 3/4 inch OD stainless braided hose, which measures 1/2 inch ID; I will use reduction fittings to adjust between 1 inch NPT on the water softener and 3/4 inch NPT on the hose.

My concern is that 1/2 inch ID might cause an unacceptable loss of flow when the system is designed for 1 inch PEX.  Is the 1/2 inch ID braided hose a viable short-term option until I can get delivery on the appropriate parts?

The lucklihood is that it will reduce the pressure throughout the house significantly, especially if more than one faucet is running at once.

It is also possible that the softener might not work correclty due to the reduced pressure, or that the output pressure will be even less than expected.

I would think that hard water for a couple extra days would outweigh soft water with little pressure - especially in the shower!

No.  It will not affect it.  think of it like this,  your softener's distributor tube is naturally 3/4" pvc or also known as 1.05" OD. So no matter what size your house pipe is,  it will be reduced at the softener.  It's a short distributor tube and the difference between a 1" and a 3/4" is very minimal.


What is the purpose of the twin single pole breaker? I just moved into a rental property and was doing some electrical work such as replacing ceiling fans and outlets (reimbursed of course).  When working with the breaker box, I encountered breakers I have not worked with before and frankly seem dangerous.  As in, you can have to flip both half switches before the breaker is off.  That and there seem to arbitrarily be white plastic clips place thru out to help turn both off at the same time.  Honestly, most just seem to be missing with age.

I have yet to remove one from the panel, but so far I cannot find them online to see what they are.  I'm under the impression the house was built in 92', but already I've been finding what I believe to be electrical violations, even for 92', every time I pull off a wall plate or fixture.

What are these breakers and should they be replace?

Also, a well pump is positioned between two breakers.  This really feels like someone was cutting corners too. That and whom ever label the panel put GFI #1 and GFI #2, which went to the bathrooms that had nothing close to GFI (Just cheap 50¢ outlets).  Needless to say those have been changed out.

Some things don't need common trip, they just common maintenance shut off. A 2 pole breaker provides both these things but not everything needs that.

The white things are called handle ties. You wouldn't expect to find them on every breaker, just the ones that need common maintenance shut off.

The two Breakers in one space are exactly what it says on the tin. They are separate Breakers with separate trip. I have never seen double stuff Breakers with handle ties, but if the manufacturer supports it then okay.

One thing that does need common trip is the pump. That should not be on a double stuff with handle tie. That should be on a 2 pole breaker. Now they do make quadplex Breakers which are two double-stuffs with a proper two-pole breaker in the middle; all that will fit into 2 spaces. That is what they should have used in that location.

I certainly hope that you tested the bathroom receptacles to see if they already had GFCI protection before installing a GFCI receptacle for no reason. Putting a GFCI on a GFCI is a waste of money. None of the breakers in that panel are GFCI Breakers, in fact there's no such thing as a GFCI double stuff.

Not sure how much you know about how breaker boxes are set up internally.  Ganged breakers are quite common.

To get ~220V in the US one can use a double-height breaker (like in slots 13/15 labeled Range).  Or one can use two separate but adjacent full-height breakers which provides one breaker on each of the two different phases/busses.  (The busses alternate each full-height breaker slot, so adjacent full-height slots are on different phases.)

In your case you have no full-height breakers ganged that way, however, you've got adjacent half-heights THAT ARE IN SEPARATE SLOTS which perform the same function.

Now, the one marked PUMP seems OK. I suppose the pump operates on 220V. But the others seem questionable.


GFCI outlets fail repeatedly in new home I purchased new home which has never been lived in and I have had to replace three different ground fault outlets. They just quit working. Now I have one in bathroom, which had been previously replaced, that quit working again. The only thing that was plugged into outlet was a night light. Yes a night light caused the previous to quit working. Is it possible that the ground faults are cheap outlets? Menards salesman stated he never heard of brand installed in house. When I replace them, they seem to work fine for few weeks before malfunctioning again.

Don't throw anything out & put in a Warranty Claim ASAP! Yes, the "Builders Grade" outlets are the lowest of the low, but you should get 10-years out of them. I'd get your wiring, service panel & circuit breakers all checked out, especially & specifically since the new outlets are failing too. That's not good at all.

Wow, this is quite strange. It is actually quite common for the GFCI circuit in GFCI outlets to fail but they normally fail in such a way that the outlet continues to deliver power. In fact in areas such as southwest Florida, GFCIs have a 51% fail rate. These failures are caused by transient voltage  rather than what was plugged in to them. It could be that the failing GFCI have more to do with the power quality rather than the night light. I would start by trying a different brand (hopefully reputable one).
I’m adding this update four years after posting the original answer. I would endorse the answer by Iggy, the manufacturer should replace them, and if more people would insist on this then the manufacturer would improve their designs. I still stand by what I said above. The statistic was from a technical paper, not my own experience, I live in Utah, but I teach for a solar technical trade school (Solar Energy International) and the fact that voltage transients can cause this is common knowledge amongst the instructors and the engineers. I suspect it’s because of poorly designed electronics in the GFCI or if the manufacturer is trying to cut manufacturing costs, which is why we all insist on warranty replacements when we see anything like this.
-Kienan Maxfield
-Instructor and curriculum developer for SEI


Wiring 100 Amp subpanel I know this subject seems to be debated to no end but I have a few questions/comments.

My main service panel is in my attached garage and I want to add a 100 amp subpanel about a foot or 2 to the side of it to power a mini split, air compressor, welder, and few other future tools for my garage workshop (mill/lathe/CNC router, etc)

I have a Square D QO load center as my main breaker with lug attachments rated at 75C and it looks like Square D rates their breakers for 60/75C service. Looking at 310.15(B)(16), I can get away with 3 AWG CU or 1 AWG AL wire rated for 75C but I just need to make sure the subpanel terminal lugs are rated for 75C as well. Correct?

I'd rather work with copper conductors since they will be smaller and easier to manipulate but I'm not finding a whole lot of 3/3 cable available. I also figure that using SE cable would be easier instead of messing with conduit unless I come in right below the original service panel and run the wire straight down into the subpanel with a short, straight piece of conduit. Don't know if there's any code against doing that or not (height issues). But if I did it that way, I could use individual 3 AWG CU wires which might be easier to source.

Any thoughts/comments?

You have the right size wire, although the aluminum is no harder to work with than the copper

You are calling out the correct gauge wire for a 100A feeder, which is good, and you are also correct that distribution lugs are rated for 75°C wire, allowing you to use that column on the ampacity chart (110.14(C) point (a)(1) even permits it for <100A, never mind point (b) permitting it for 100A and up in any case).  However, your assertion that copper will be smaller diameter/dramatically easier to work with isn't quite right.  Fat aluminum wires are compact stranded by default, as opposed to the typical concentric stranding of a stranded copper wire, which means they do not take up much more space than a copper wire of equivalent ampacity.

There is also no minimum height for a panel

While you cannot have a breaker handle over 2m (6'7") from the floor (to make sure that folks can reach it!), there is no minimum height requirement, and large commercial panels sometimes are 6' tall or more, with breakers starting at 12-18" above the floor.  This means that your plan to put the subpanel below the main panel is fine; do remember to pull the bonding screw out of the subpanel if it's shipped with one fitted, and torque all distribution lugs to their specified torque with a torque wrench or screwdriver that reads in inch-pounds.  (This last requirement is a new one in the 2017 NEC, specified in 110.14(D)).

"Metal Conduit is the ground"  is definitely NOT applicable to sub-panels per code. Code requires that sub-panels be grounded by a ground wire from the main panel to the sub-panel (even when metal conduit is used), generally ONE size smaller than the conductors. It has been found the the lug rings and other components may loosen or not have been tightened leaving the ground not able to provide protection as designed.
In the sub-panel you must REMOVE the bonding screw so that the neutral and ground are not bonded inside that sub-panel. This makes the ground continuous to the main panel and separate from the neutral.
You want the ground circuit to ONLY be bonded inside the main panel. This can be very important for the newer codes which require AFCI/GFCI protection.

This was not true in the past in commercial, however it has been code for a very long time.


Why is my roof leaking when it isn't raining? I've just moved house last week and today have noticed a drip in my dining room. What's odd is that it isn't raining - in fact, today is the first warm day of the year.
The "water" is a brown colour, but doesn't seem to have an odor. Moreover, I'm also noticing drips from the roof line on the outside of this part of the house.
It's a single story extension without plumbing, so I don't think it's a leaky pipe. The gutters are bone dry and there's no standing water on the (flat, leaded) roof.
What could be causing this? And how would I solve it?

When water leaks through ceiling it makes drywall week. Recently I replaced leaky hot water pipe in the house. A big area of ceiling was damaged. Not sure how big or a small ceiling portion is affected in your case. I would first make a small hole with a nail or at least 1/4” drill. If water is accumulated and comes out faster or more you may have to cut 12x12” piece of ceiling. (I would start their)
Let us know what is your finding. Making hole or cutting small portion of ceiling was suggested based on your info.


Modifying load bearing studs The builder of our house put two double load-bearing studs in the middle of the media room wall where we want to install an in-wall center channel speaker. Would installing a box frame with double 2x4's for the top and bottom plate to distribute the load as shown in the picture below compromise the short or long-term integrity of the load?
The orange box in the picture is where the speaker would go.
This room in the only room upstairs in the 1 1/2 story house. There is attic space behind this wall up to the diagonal studs on the left side. Above and behind the diagonal studs is outside/roof/bricks.
I wouldn't do the work myself, but before I reach out to any contractors, I wanted to get the folks' opinions on this forum.
If it's too much of a risk/hassle, I may opt for a different option for the speaker. Such as mounting it on the wall or a shelf.
UPDATE:
Well I just found out the builder has already hung the sheetrock along with mudding and tapping it! They won't allow me to fur it our at few inches as K H pointed out below. Which I think would have been a good option.
Now I am back to the drawing board. So it's either cut the drywall or go through the attic to access the studs to put in re-enforced headers (a couple of 2x10's or 8's).
I've reached out to a residential structural engineer to get his opinion. I'm waiting to hear back.

A header will need to added in that area. Perhaps for the short span, it needs a triple 2X4 on their edge will work for that, 2X6 would be best. This is assuming  2X6 wall. They can be directly above the speaker or even as high as the underside of the top plate if the angled blocking does not complicate anything. Some blocking will need to be added for the joint between the foam board and OSB.

I suggest shifting the speaker frame to the left to avoid interfering with the load-bearing studs. Double up and add horizontal studs to distribute the load to the studs as shown on the picture below.


Kohler bathtub cold water stem removal Need to remove stem from bathtub cold water faucet which turns on clockwise and off counter-clockwise. Does Lefty-Loosy apply here?

98 out of 100 times it is indeed lefty loosey. In cases of some power tools it is the opposite.


How can I repair a power cable with missing jacket insulation? About 1 inch of the cable jacket is missing. The inner copper wires are intact and insulated.

Can I repair the yellow shield with an acceptable tape or shrink wrap? I need to pass an inspection and want to do it properly within code.

The jacket needs to enter the box 1/4"  if it is missing further back than that the inspector may allow heat shrink but I would probably replace that run so I wouldn't have to wait for another inspection unless you call them and they say heat shrink would be acceptable. Code reference NEC 314.7.C.

Where is this wire? Are you referring to the end of it, in a switch or receptacle or junction box? If so, don't worry about it. The "jacket" is there mostly to protect the actual wire insulation from being damaged during installation. Once it's installed, the jacket is unnecessary.


Is fixing these stairs as simple as just replacing the stairs and supports? It looks to me like it's just a support piece nailed into the wall with a 2x4 running across as a step. They go down to our unfinished basement and a few of them are starting to fail.

Anything I should be aware of?

If the cleats supporting the steps are solid and haven't deteriorated, use 3 inch course-thread screws to re-secure them to the stair stringers (the long outer sections that span from the bottom to the landing.

If you are in doubt as to the condition of the cleats replace them. I'd use any 2 x stock cut a bit longer than the width of the step. Install it so the cleat's edge is recessed back from the step's edge. From the looks of your foggy photo it appears your steps are 2 x ? stock. If they are in need of replacement (and can't be repaired) replace with similar dimensioned wood.

Also you might want to consider if there are several steps and/or cleats to be replaced is to install a third stringer between the existing ones. They can be found sometimes pre cut. And it isn't that hard to cut one from a length of 2 x 10 or 12 Douglas fir.

Yes, what you should be aware of is that the guy who built these stairs is a moron. You cannot build stairs like this.

Get a book like Building Stairs (by Pros for Pros) so you know what you are doing.

-------------------------------- Response to the Comments

First to the OP: if you want to fix your stairs right, get a book like I have linked and do what it says.

To the would-be stair builders below who seem to think cleated stairs are a good idea:

Stairs are like furniture; they have to hold together. Trying to use $100 in bolts is not going to save you. Wood bends and twists, especially the soft wood used in OP's construction. You could add 10 pounds of bolts to that thing and it will still look like a Bonsai tree in 10 years. Trying to secure a 30 inch tread to a half inch wooden cleat is just not a good idea that will not work in ANY scenario no matter how many bolts and screws you use. Sooner or later somebody is going to be carring a 19" TV down there, the tread will bend and collapse and they will fall.

Unfortunately, I can't do a Vulcan mind meld and make you understand why softwood stringers with softwood treads and softwood cleats will pull apart over time. I suggest reading a book on cabinetry. To hold wood together you have to bind it in every direction properly. Pounding in a few nails or screws to even a 1" hardwood cleat is not going to do that. A 1/2" pine cleat is a joke. Softwood stringers with only a one-dimensional fastening (no risers) will always bow and twist. Even if you use expensive, heavy duty steel angles, (obviously not the case here) they will still twist and fail eventually.

Can you engineer stairs with cleats? Yes, with enough steel and a proper two-dimensional design , it is possible to create permanent stairs using cleats. THE OP IS NOT A STRUCTURAL ENGINEER, SO HE IS NOT GOING TO DO THAT. The proper thing to do is TO READ THE BOOK I LINKED and do what it says.


Why does my washing machine leak only during the spin cycle? For the second time in a month, I found that my washing machine had flooded the kitchen floor (and part of the basement via the hole for the water line to the fridge).

The first time, I only noticed it at the end of the wash.  This time, I know it happened during the spin cycle because I had just been in the kitchen a few minutes earlier and hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary.

The washer is a Maytag LAT9706AAE and is at least eight years old (I bought it with the house) but has been reliable until this.  The load size was set between medium and large (it's on a continuous slider); Extra Rinse (which uses more water in the rinse cycle) was turned off and Extra Spin (which causes it to spin for longer) was turned on.

Why would it leak only during the spin cycle?  Is this something I could repair easily, or is it time for a new washer?

You have a crack somewhere in the drainage system. The most likely reason that it's leaking on the spin cycle is the vibration caused by the spin cycle is opening the crack to let the leaking occur.

Yes, the outer tub got a hole and during spin the water rose and leaked through the hole. You can only see the hole after removing the inner tub.