How should I retape an inside drywall corner when the wall is heavily textured? We just bought a house built in 1992 and need to retape the ceilings in some of the rooms where the ceilings are angled and the tape is coming loose. We have already removed the popcorn ceiling to do so.
The issue I foresee is that in some areas where the ceiling meets the walls, they need to be retaped - but the wall is very heavily textured.

Do we need to do something specific to repair this so we don't have an untaped corner?

Would it be smart to just finished the molding at the top that they didn't extend in to the living room to make the job "easier"?

If the tape on the wall is fine, one option is to cut the existing tape along the seam between the ceiling and the wall. Remove the half from the  ceiling as repair ceiling as needed.

Then, to finish, run a bead of caulk along the seam and paint.

Tape is always preferred, but I've used caulk for inside corners in lieu of tape many times and (knock on wood) it's worked just fine for me.

To repair  drywall tape that has come loose you will need to remove the tape sections with a utility knife. Next replace the tape you removed by liberally troweling joint compound into and around the incision. Rip a piece of drywall tape from a roll and push it onto the wet compound. At about a 20 degree angle and with gentle pressure , pull your drywall blade across the tape. You want to keep the tape in place , but press it as flat to the wall as possible. If done correctly compound will squish from the tape edges. Repeat 2-3 times leaving as little compound under the tape to adhere it to the joint. Let dry overnight and knock any burs or ridges off. Apply second layer as the first only using a wider blade. The idea is to feather each layer a few inches wider than the one before it so as to make the repair as unnoticible as possible. BTW the reason for using drywall tape is that it strengthens the gypsum panels joints making them less likely to open or crack. Regarding your idea to cover damaged tape with molding (maybe crown?) that would work, but it's a matter of personal taste. Either idea will work wich do you like or prefer?


How do I unscrew a hex screw that doesn't have any grip anymore? I messed up the screw that fits this tip of this particular type of screwdriver bit (circled in red):

That screw now has almost no edges and is basically oval. I tried lubricating the screw so that I can get it by the neck on the opposite side with a set of pliers but I had no luck there as well.

You may have some luck with a screw extractor. They come in various styles - here are two of them:

The extractors are designed to screw themselves down into the head of the screw while at the same time applying torque on the screw in the direction that would loosen the screw. Your described screw had a hex socket type hole so the extractor may be ready to try. Sometimes it is necessary to drill a small hole in the screw head to engage the extractor. The first type shown has extractor on one and a suitably sized drill on the other end.

It the extractor fails to remove the screw or if the thing is too far gone already to accept a screw extractor then it would likely be a next step to remove the core of the screw by drilling it out. With care you can drill down the center of the core and use a diameter that is smaller than the outside thread diameter. Then you can come back with a threading tap to remove the reset of the screw material and clean up the threads in the mating part. Here is a picture of a typical threading tap.

Use a hand plier to apply on screw head and rotate


Protections from CO/CO2 Poisoning in Rooms? I'm aware that there is little risk of CO/CO2 poisoning in typical house rooms in the US, even after long periods (A few hours, maybe a day) in a particular room. How is this accomplished, and what safeguards, if any ensure that there isn't a buildup of CO/CO2 in a room just due to typical human breathing?

If there is no oil/gas/wood burning/ heating system in the near, the natural air change through house hulls is enough to prevent a dangerous concentration. If the house is built with a very air tight hull (e.g. passive houses) , a ventilation system provides the air exchange. Air exchange via fully opened window every few hours helps also to avoid high CO2/CO levels. In general, not high Carbon(di)oxide levels , but fine dust from candles/smoke or aerosols from cleaning agents/moebels etc. or asbestos from building materials used in the past (radiator wall coatings, cement flooring, pipe insulation, PVC floor or tile glue, Eternit Wall covers etc. if sawed/grinded/broken/drilled) are the biggest threat for the health.

Just open the windows daily to aerate every room, nothing compares with fresh air.


Should I use nails or screws for hanging drywall on the ceiling? I'm replacing water-damaged drywall on my ceiling and was considering using screws. Other than cost, is there any other reason I should use nails instead?

Or am I too paranoid that nails won't have enough holding power? I'd prefer the cheapest option that's still going to be effective.

There is absolutely no reason to use nails in this day and age. I urge you to use 1 5/8" drywall screws.  There are several reasons.  Screws have much better holding power, they are actually faster to install, and they can be slightly counter sunk during installation to make mudding a lot easier ( especially with a drywall screw gun or a decent drywall bit that can be used in any drill).  Nails can loosen with age and "pop" out through the mud coat, cracking your paint.  The difference in price is negligible, but the difference in performance is massive. Drywall finish is the end result of a room project, the surface you will see for a very long time, don't cheat yourself.  Do it well, use screws and a good gun or bit.  Good Luck.

I MIGHT PREFER RINGED DRYWALL NAILS FOR CEILINGS.

(if you use non-ringed drywall nails in a ceiling: yes they will have popping issues, but no one ever said non-ringed were ok for ceilings!!  popping nails are a rumor - no one ever used non-ringed i hope.)

For my joists (late 1970's good wood), I just pulled down drywall for sagging (NOT for popping, due to installation issues).  The ringed nails are DIFFICULT to move or get out with hammer OR nail puller ... all of them: but easier than pliers with screws obviously.

Why is because I'm going into JOISTS.  If the ceiling ever needs replacement can you imagine the mess of removing asia made screws that are mudded and painted?  Get your pliers and all day cussing, it's a  little spoken "issue" with asian drywall screws.  You only find a little chat on a forum of some poor soul asking others how to do it.

Some say you can just "hammer off drywall screws" (smack on the side, they break, due to being brittle).  If that's your plan: better try it to make sure it works: there is no such thing as "justice" when it comes to standaards.  You have no idea if the screw maker did or didn't mix the metal just right for this "contractor tip" to work.

Ringed Drywall Nails are cheaper, HOLD GREAT, and do not require purchase of a good quality $350 Dewalt ratcheting screw gun.  They are definitely an option for (DiY) projects.


Should I install GFCI outlets or run new grounded cabling in my older home? I am renovating an old home(90 years) that my wife and I just purchased. The electrical system in the house is outdated - some of the outlets appear to be knob and tube but most are the brass and silver; forgive me if this is incorrect info, I honestly know very little.
To the point - We do not have grounded outlets and I started replacing the 2 prong outlets with 3 prong outlets (without installing the ground). I realized this is a bad idea and decided to start researching. I am a little confused because I hear opposing arguments on whether or not the GFCI outlets are able to compensate, to some degree, for the inability to short circuit on demand.
I have read that the GFCI are good for nothing more than water running into the outlet whereas the actual ground would short circuit if there was a problem with too much electric output or metal coming into contact.
My question is: Could I replace the 2 prong outlets with GFCI and call it good, or should I be installing a ground? I prefer not to overhaul and install a ground but please tell me if this is a terrible idea or not.
Thanks in advance
-- UPDATE --
I see that some of the outlets are encased with a metal rectangular box and was wondering if I could ground the outlet(s) by running a bare copper wire to the metal rectangle box back to the ground screw on the outlet?
Pictures requested:
The Older Looking Outlet

The Newer Looking Outlet

On "The Newer Looking Outlet" above, you are not able to see it in the photograph but there is a green screw for grounding; it is on the bottom left hand side

Replace the outlets with GFCIs -- the operation of a GFCI in no way depends on the presence of the equipment grounding wire. You'll have to use the "No Equipment Ground" sticker that comes with them, by the way.

P.S. on the metal boxes -- since it sounds like your house is a mix of K&T and other wiring techniques (perhaps NM additions), you cannot ground to the boxes -- that technique only works if your house was wired with BX/AC, MC, or metallic conduit (RMC/IMC/EMT).

(Confirming that you have K&T and NM mixed in your house, based on your photos, by the way -- I also do not see a ground wire on the NM, but the angle of the photo makes it hard to tell.)

if you have knob and tube anything, it all has to come out and be replaced with modern 2 conductor and ground wiring.  this can be done at lot more inexpensively than most people think, but you need to know what you are doing,  and judging by your own comments, its probably time to get a licensed electrician.


Accessing Upper Shelves of 8 feet high pantry I am planning a kitchen pantry which will be 8 feet high and 24 inch deep.
I need a solution to reach upper shelves of pantry - without having to pull dining chairs or put a folding step stool in bottom shelves ( making accessing items in lower shelves difficult ).
One solution might be to design a built-in step stool which folds into sides of pantry and whenever needed unfolds out.
Anybody familiar with either a product like this or custom made one ?

I mean what you are talking about is a sliding ladder - picture below.
I worked in a french bistro in the 90s that had one for storage.   This is basically the only thing that will get that high and deep along a long width.   If done right it would be "cool as sh!t".   If done wrong it would be an eye sore and in the way.   Another part of this is how big your kitchen is.   A humungous kitchen could support this.   A large kitchen that had just one wall that needed it could do it especially if there was a nook to fold it away.

I found two excellent solutions - one DIY and another readymade:
The common thing about both solutions is to build/buy a pull-out/push-in folding step ladder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pepELr-hcEc&t=31s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir7D1CMXwDY


Why would a GFCI trip on refrigerator circuit? My refrigerator is tripping the GFCI on the socket into which it is plugged.  Searching about this topic seems to indicate that this is a reasonably common complaint.  However, I can't find any concrete information about general causes or potential solutions other than suggestions to replace everything and hope for the best; this seems unsatisfying.

This is a new fridge and all new electrical work by licensed professionals.  I believe that the electrical is installed correctly and grounded, and that there is no damage to the fridge. I believe this is a dedicated circuit from the breaker panel to the outlet for the fridge. Nothing else is on this circuit and nothing else is plugged into the other socket. Low humidity. Kitchen installation. No water, no ice-maker. This has never happened before, but now it trips the GFCI immediately after reset.

I've done the following things:

Reset the GFCI, then re-plugged the fridge; GFCI tripped again.
Plugged other things (alone) into the fridge's GFCI outlet: they work fine and GFCI does not trip.
Plugged refrigerator into other GFCI-protected outlet with nothing else on it; this GFCI outlet also tripped.
Plugged refrigerator into other non-GFCI outlet; works and doesn't trip the breaker.
Tested the socket wiring (using 3-lamp receptacle tester) -- it's correct.
Measured resistance between prongs on the refrigerator's electrical cord; ~300 kOhms between hot and neutral; no continuity to ground from either.  This all seems reasonable.

EDIT: per comment below, I should also note that I called the service line for the manufacturer: they said only that, if the appliance works when plugged into a non-GFCI outlet, that there's nothing more they can do.

To me, this seems to suggest the fridge is broken -- but it's brand new!  Why would my fridge be tripping the GFCI? Is this to be expected for a refrigerator? Should I just plug it into non-GFCI and ignore it "like any normal person"? ;-)

Several other questions on this site suggest solutions for other GFCI issues, but I don't see any about refrigerators and GFCI.  This answer seems to suggest that refrigerators shouldn't be on GFCI in the first place.  However, my electrician said it's now code to have refrigerator's on GFCI (at least locally), but there seems to be disagreement about The Rules.

Other discussions quickly devolve to inaccurate and imprecise citing of NEC, or straying from erudite matters:

This one that suggests it's common for older refrigerators;
This one that suggests certain components of the fridge that could be causing it.

Other topics about humidity, garages, other stuff, wiring, etc. don't seem to apply here.

Residential Kitchen

In a dwelling unit (residential), GFCI protection is only required for kitchen receptacles that serve the countertop surfaces. There's no requirement to GFCI protect receptacles that serve a refrigerator. Unless the fridge is plugged into a countertop receptacle.

  National Electrical Code 2014

  Chapter 2 Wiring and Protection

  Article 210 Branch Circuits

  I. General Provisions

  210.8 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. Ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel shall be provided as required in 210.8(A) through (C). The ground-fault circuit-interrupter shall be installed in a readily accessible location.

  (A) Dwelling Units. All 125-volt, single-phase, 15- and
  20-ampere receptacles installed in the locations specified in
  210.8(A)(1) through (10) shall have ground-fault circuit interrupter protection for personnel.

  (6) Kitchens— where the receptacles are installed to serve the countertop surfaces.

Garages, Unfinished Basement, and Other Locations

If the refrigerator is in a garage, boathouse, or unfinished basement. All the receptacles are required to be GFCI protected, so the fridge will have to be plugged into a GFCI protected receptacle.

Why does the fridge trip the GFCI?

Any inductive load when switched off, can produce electromagnetic interference (EMI). This interference can, and often does, trip GFCI devices. Most vapor compression refrigerators have a few inductive loads, any of which could cause the trip.

Is there anything that can be done?

There are devices called snubbers that can be used to reduce, or eliminate the effects of EMI. Installing one between the fridge and the GFCI device, could prevent nuisance trips. The best solution though, is to connect the fridge to a non-GFCI protected circuit.

If that's all it takes, why isn't there already one built in?

While most (all) manufacturers are aware that refrigerators can cause nuisance tripping of GFCI devices, most (none) seem willing to provide a solution. It would be complete speculation for me to try and tell you why they don't care, so of course I'll go through a few possibilities.

Cost.
Plain and simple, it costs money to implement a solution.
Warranties and Operating Conditions.
Most refrigerators are designed to operate in a kitchen. Running them in dusty, dirty garages and basements could lead to more warranty covered repairs.

Just put a regular receptacle in. The gfci just stops it from tripling the vreaker that has only so many times to trip. Remove this and if the wiring is correct (sizing and all) it should be fine. It is code to run the refrigerator on a dedicaded circuit as stated above but i have a deep freeze hooked in my garage but i dont have alot of stuff running at once keeping my amps down. Ive ran a pellet grill, fan, blower, and the freezer all at once no problem but my freezer is plugged into a reciptical not a gfci. My gfci is daisy chained (connected) to two other reciptiacles with it being closest to the breaker to stop the overcurrent from tripping the breaker. In newer houses though everything with be afci  breakers so you will still have to accesss your panel to reset.


Trane humidifier control switch replacement The control switch that came with bypass humidifier installed with my Trane heat pump started acting up - only turns humidifier water on when I turn the dial all the way to max. I'm thinking I need to replace it. It seems to have only 2 contacts, so my guess is I can just buy any other control switch, like this one and put it in instead:

https://smile.amazon.com/Aprilaire-4655-Manual-Humidistat/dp/B002VNEZX2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1479092706&sr=8-3&keywords=humidifier+control+switch

Am I right, or there's more to it?

thanks

Replaced control switch, everything works great.


Why does NEC require circuit breaker locks only on hard-wired appliance circuits? The National Electric Code (NEC) Section 422.30 requires "permanently connected appliances" to have "lockable" disconnects, so that power can be reliably cut to the appliance when it is serviced.  Here is an example of a lockable circuit breaker for a built-in oven:

This seems like a great fail-safe to prevent someone from flipping a circuit breaker on while someone else is in contact with a conductor on the circuit.  My question is: Why are lockable disconnects only required for hard-wired appliances?

The picture here shows a 240V 40A circuit, but the NEC rule applies to any appliance rated over 300VA, so such locks also appear on 120V 15A breakers for hard-wired appliances.  But anyone working on a simple wall outlet or light switch could be exposed to at least 1800VA if the circuit breaker were unexpectedly turned on.  So why does the NEC only mandate locks on some appliance circuits, and not all circuit breakers?  Do appliances pose a different and greater hazard than other hot conductors?

Why are lockable disconnects only required for hard-wired appliances?

Because if they plug in, you can just unplug them :)

The purpose of disconnects, whether this type or those in fluorescent lights, is to allow you to unhook it when hardwiring.

The purpose is for lockout/tagout

This is why Code requires a disconnect switch within line-of-sight of the equipment in question. That is true in all instances; mainly this is applicable to industrial.

If a line-of-sight disconnect is not practicable, then Code is allowing a lockout/tagout device in its stead.

Your picture is actually showing the incorrect way to use the shackle. It is dangerous to leave the shackle like this when not in use. In your picture the breaker is ON. The shackle should be in the open position (pulled back away from the breaker and just hanging free) when the breaker is on to allow the breaker to trip when it needs to otherwise possibly causing an overload. The shackle gets closed over the breaker when it is in the off position and then allows you to place a small pad lock on it to keep the breaker off while working on an appliance of some sort that is out of line of site.


Do I need a vapor barrier in an exterior basement wall if I use purple drywall? I purchased some purple drywall (mold and moisture resistant)for installing in a finished basement bedroom. One wall is an exterior wall. Do I need to install a vapor barrier between the drywall and the studs?

Ask yourself this: "If I install a vapor barrier, where is the water that it stops going to collect?"
If you put a polyethylene vapor barrier behind a drywall-covered stud framed wall, then the answer is that water that condenses on the poly will fall onto the wood sill plate, growing mold and eventually rotting it out.
Dedicated vapor barriers have no place in a basement wall. If the basement wall is insulated on the outside, then the vapor barrier is superfluous; otherwise, is it dangerous, as it will trap moisture against a moisture-sensitive element, as I indicated.
Here's lots of supporting evidence, since this perspective appears to be controversial. From http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/how-insulate-basement-wall

Should I include a polyethylene vapor barrier?
No. Basement wall systems should never include any polyethylene. You don’t want poly between the concrete and the insulation; nor do you want poly between gypsum drywall and the insulation. You don’t want poly anywhere.
Paul Ellringer, an energy and mold consultant in Saint Paul, Minnesota, has a collection of slides showing moldy basement insulation. In most cases, these basement walls were insulated with fiberglass batts, and included two layers of polyethylene — one on each side of the studs. Ellringer calls this a “diaper wall,” and reports that most of them are a mess. “Fibrous insulation and poly are inherently problematic, and should not be used in below-grade walls,” says Ellringer. “Sometimes when you open it up, the fiberglass is soaking wet. If the house is two to four years old, the studs are often beginning to rot.”

And from http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/information-sheets/basement-insulation:

No interior vapor barriers should be installed in order to permit inward drying.

And from http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/digests/bsd-103-understanding-basements/:

Unfortunately, locating insulation layers on the interior often conflicts with the traditional approach of foundation water control – namely inward drying. Constructing frame walls, insulating the resulting cavity and covering with an interior plastic vapor barrier is common (Photograph 2) and often leads to odor, mold, decay and corrosion problems (Fugler, 2002;  Ellringer, 2002). Also common, and prone to similar problems, is the use of “blanket insulation” often derisively referred to as “the diaper” for the odor problems associated with the approach (Photograph 3).

If you have not yet constructed your stud wall against the existing basement wall, please read those links to find out how to do it safely and properly.

Yes, you need a vapor barrier to prevent moisture from inside the home from traveling through the wall and condensing inside the insulation. See also what is the purpose of a vapor barrier.


Can I use a T5 HO lamp in a non-HO luminaire? Does anyone know what would happen?
Does the ballast limit the power?
If the T5 HO lamps were less expensive than T5 non-HO lamps, would it be ok to just use them in a non-HO luminaire?

HO bulbs prefer more power than regular bulbs.  They will work on a normal ballast, but won't give peak performance.   A normal bulb in an HO ballast will be overdriven to its destruction.

What, you say? How can this be?  You are accustomed to constant-voltage devices - plug a nightlight into a 20A circuit, no problem.  Fluorescent tubes are current devices - like LED chips but even moreso.  They are non-linear and do not act like a resistor.  They act more like a dead short and will draw unlimited current.  They need external ballasts to limit their current to spec.  The ballast will push through spec current whether the tube can handle it or not!

The HO bulbs require more power output to operate than regular bulbs... and that is why there is an HO ballast, to provide that extra power.  You could put a regular bulb in an HO fixture, but not vice versa.


What can I do about radiant hot water tubing above an electrical panel? My wife and I have a new construction with radiant heat installed on the underside of the floors between joists, which was in place before the electrical was installed. Electrical inspector burst a blood vessel on rough electrical inspection, saying the heat tubing violates the 3' clearance rule around the panel and demands it be moved (or removed) before final electrical inspection. Seems we can't be the only people on the planet with this issue. Is there any way to resolve the issue without ripping out and moving the radiant heat tubing and in doing so causing a huge cold spot in a main room on an outside wall? Wouldn't a layer (or two) of 5/8" Sheetrock qualify as a suitable barrier in the off chance one of the radiant tubes were to miraculously burst or leak right above the electrical panel?

Radiant tubing is secured to the underside of the sub-floor. It is up in the joist bay. This tubing is ABSOLUTELY legal above a panel. Most homes I do these days have hot water radiant and ALL of them have tubing in the joist bays above panels.

This inspector is a renegade and sounds like he likes his power. Also, there is NO "3 foot clearance rule", whatever he thinks that is.

I'd politely ask him for a verification of exactly what code you violated with the radiant tubing.

Plumbers usually go in before electricians, so I can see why it is there. Jobsite meetings with all the subcontractors to go over where each sub needs to go and who has to stay out of each others way. This may have been caught at this time. I have had this issue pop up once during one of these meetings and needed to move the electric panel to get it back to code. Code will not allow pressure pipes over an electric panel. I have had the inspector let us pass with non pressure drain lines over the panel. Somebody may be able to quote the exact code that says so. I do not know it, just what I have learned on the jobsites I ran.

If you feel strongly about keeping the pipe there, check the feasibility of moving the panel, a junction box can be added out of the way to extend the home runs to the new location. Your limitation will be how long the maximum length of unfused service cable can be run to the circuit breakers from the meter. To get past the issue I mentioned above, the meter was moved too, so it kept the service cable length short enough.


What mortar should I use for 8x10 and mosaic wall tile? I will be tiling a tub/shower area using 8x10 ceramic tile with glass mosaic tile accent rows.

I see about half a dozen varieties of thin-set on the market:

Weights:
 - 25lb
 - 50lb

Types:
 - fortified
 - standard
 - flexbond

About every combination of the weights and types you can imagine is available.

What is the right thinset for my installation?

Color
This is the easy one.  If you're going to use dark grout, you can use grey thin-set. If your grout is a light color, or you're installing glass tile or a porous stone, use white thin-set. If you use grey thin-set with light grout, glass, or porous stone, the color may show through.
To modify, or not to modify
In most cases, you'll want to use some form of modified thin-set.  Unmodified thin-sets are typically only used by professionals, and are modified at the time of mixing (using the pros secret recipe).
Standard
This is the economy thin-set. It will work well in most situations, and is a bit easier on the wallet. It should not be used with impervious materials such as glass, and porcelain.
Fortified
A fortified thinset like VersaBond®, is an "all-purpose" thin-set and an excellent choice for DIYers.  It will provide a good bond between just about any tile and substrate you can use, and it's good for floors, walls, and counter tops.
Flexbond
Flexbond is a polymer modified thin-set. It is a good choice when working with porcelain or glass tile, or when tiling over a plywood subfloor.  It provides a bit of extra flexibility, which can prevent cracking in some situations.
How much to buy
First you'll have to determine the square footage, of the area you'll be tiling.  I'll use a tub surround with 2 walls 3' wide, one wall 5' wide, and tile 6' up each wall as an example.
The total length = 3' + 3' + 5' = 11'
height = 6'
sqft = 11' * 6' = 66 sqft.

I usually estimate that a 50lbs bag of thin-set will cover about 60sqft, so in my example I'll need 1 50lbs and 1 25lbs bag of thin-set.  Don't worry, if you overbuy you can always return the 25lbs bag when you're done (just don't open it, unless you need it).
How much to mix
The bag of thin-set should list the Pot Life, which tells you how long the thin-set is good for once it's mixed and in a bucket.  You want to mix only enough thin-set that you'll be able to use in this amount of time.  This will depend on how fast you work, so you'll have to experiment to figure out what works best for you.
How much to spread
The bag should also list the Open Time, and Adjustment Time. Open time, is how long the thin-set can sit on the substrate after being troweled. Adjustment time is the amount of time after laying the tile, that the tile can be adjusted. In most cases you'll want to ignore these numbers, and simply spread only what you can use in 5-10 minutes.  Again, this will depend on how fast you work, so you'll have to figure it out as you go.
Trowel Size
You want to make sure you get 100% coverage under tiles, which may require back-buttering on larger tiles. You also want to use a bit thicker mortar bed when setting floor tiles, since floor tiles may be subject to more abuse.  This trowel guide from JAMO Inc., is a good baseline for which trowel to use.

Though you may find that you have to make slight adjustments, depending on the thin-set and tile you're working with.

Don't use thin set on a wall tile installation it isn't necessary. They make a very good adhesive premixed that has excellent bond and is much easier to apply to walls than thin-set. It's called mastic or tile mastic it comes in either one gallon or three and one half gallon buckets. Make sure to use a good backed board as well. Either hardi-backer or something comparable.


Figure out what outlets belong to what breakers So I live in a dorm room at a college, and I am looking into getting 2 1050w ASIC miners for mining Litecoin.
My issue is, that as far as I know, you can't pull +/-3000 watts from one breaker. (2 miners = 1050w, + desktop computer 500w, + laptop 300w+ fan/chargers/etc) (I live in Canada btw, so you know what electrical standards we use)
I am trying to see if there is a way to figure out what outlets are hooked to different breakers. I know there are devices that allow you to send a signal to the breaker, but I don't have access to the breaker, so I'm hoping there's a device where I can plug it into one outlet, and check all the other outlets to see if the signal is coming through.
As far as I know, in our dorm we would have multiple breakers, so I'm trying to figure out where they are, so I can distribute the power usage between them. I'm assuming there is a separate breaker for the kitchen, bedroom #1 and bedroom #2.
Anyone know of a device that will help me figure this out? Thanks.

The only answer here is to contact your Facilities Department and ask them.

Your whole idea of throwing big loads into a building on a "rogue" basis is only going to result in breaker trips. And since you can't reset a breaker, you'll end up talking to Facilities anyway, or they may end up having a talk with you.  I know the child's impulse is to sneak until he can't... but when you're adulting, it's better to get out ahead of it and intercept the objection before it becomes one.

Power supply

Your 1050W unit is a DC figure, it will need a power supply (PSU).  That is not 100% efficient.  Some brag 89% efficient, and 94% power factor, and if that's true that means 1255 VA of actual draw.

This is a continuous load.  That means when provisiong (planning) power to the device, you must derate it by 125%, or 1570 VA.   Normal 120V/15A circuits have 1800 VA available, and one ASIC will totally dominate it with only 230W available for maybe a small console screen.   Larger 120V/20A circuits, sometimes reveaked by the T-shaped neutral socket, have 2400 VA to give, so they also can support one ASIC, and 830 VA of other stuff will fit.  VA is a unit very similar to watts.

You will not find an 850 watt air conditioner.  This will require a third circuit.  You have not stated any plan to remove 2510 watts of heat energy from a dorm room, and that is a fatal flaw.

Colleges do not like miners.  The reason is mainly the excessive power used.  When dorms proffer "free electricity" they only mean for incidental use for normal student needs.  They do not mean for you to use it as the primary resource input into a side business that profits yourself - and everyone knows the coin-mining game is All About the cost of electricity. So yes, you are definitely violating campus rules against exploiting university assets for personal gain.

It's different if you're running an ebay business and use the power to run the heat shrink gun 30 seconds a day.  An eBay business doesn't have electricity as its primary resource input.

You're using a VPN and the traffic is low.  How does their incompetent IT department catch you?  Easier than you think.  Someone from the Facilities Dept. comes out at 5 am and aims a FLIR at the side of the building.  The dorm rooms where power is being overused light up cherry red.  They can do the same by aiming the FLIR at the service panel, the high-current breakers will light up warmer than all the rest.  It's not rocket science.

Not sure where you are getting the "+/-3000 watts from one breaker" idea, that's not accurate. Assuming 120V, you are limited to 1440VA (80% of 15A x 120V) continuous on a standard residential circuit. It's possible that they used heavier wire (12ga) and a 20A breaker for 15A outlets (legal in the US, not sure about Canada), but that's still limited to 18A, so 2160VA. then assuming the Power Supplies in the severs are at .8 power factor, that's either 115W or 1728W respectively. Bottom line you probably cannot use one circuit to run both of your servers (assuming you are not prohibited anyway) or even one of them if there is almost anything else on that circuit.


Is it OK to use 1/4" concrete backer board over 1/2" plywood as a bathroom subfloor? I just bought a house built in 1978 and I'm planning on putting tile in the bathrooms (currently linoleum).

The fixtures are removed and the flooring under the linoleum is particle board.  I think its 3/4".  It has a couple weak spots (one over a vent and the other around the toilet that was leaking).

I was planning on pulling this up and replacing with plywood and concrete backer board.  However, my question is, can I put 1/4" backer board over 1/2" plywood, so that the level of the floor is pretty close to where it was before and not have a large transition between the rooms?

-edit to add-
1 bathroom is along an outside wall of the house.
1 bathroom is in the middle of the house with a support beam running along one wall (beam runs the whole length of the house).
Bathrooms share a wall in between them (total span of 10ft from outside wall to middle support beam of the house).
Both bathrooms are on the 2nd floor.
both bathrooms are above another heated/insulated room.
16in joist spacing.
I don't know how big the joists are because I haven't removed the existing subfloor yet.
We will most likely be installing ceramic tile.

My main goal here is to create the smallest transition as possible between the bathroom flooring and the carpet (installed on the same particle board) outside the bathroom.

If there are other options outside plywood + backer board that would be available, I am 100% willing to listen to them.

1/2" plywood is for temporary applications, exterior sheathing and used as gigantic shims. It does not belong as a floor or a roof; minimum 5/8" exterior grade.

HardieBacker:

  What subfloor should HardieBacker board be installed over?
  The minimum subfloor specified is 5/8" exterior grade plywood or 23/32'' exterior grade OSB subflooring. HardieBacker board must be installed in accordance with local building codes and the floor must be engineered not to exceed the L/360 deflection criteria, including live and dead design loads, for the specific joist spacing used. HardieBacker board is not designed for use over concrete.

Durock:

  Subfloor should be minimum 5/8" exterior-grade OSB or plywood.

Wonderboard:

  For the subfloor, securely glue and fasten minimum 5/8" (16 mm) exterior grade plywood or OSB panels (PRP-108) to the floor joists. Floor joists should be spaced a maximum of 16" (40 cm) o.c.; a 3/4" (19 mm) Exterior Grade Plywood or OSB subfloor with I-joists spaced a maximum of 19.2" (48 cm) o.c. is also acceptable.

For the threshold you don't want something that overlaps, like this:

For a Hardwood transition, you want the type that abuts the tile, like this one-sided beveled threshold: (I've had luck filling against them with grout; complementary colored caulk is also available for tile-to-wood transitions. Standard thresholds can be ripped down, length-wise, to remove one bevel and then the bottom sanded down for a custom fit. Endeavor for absolutely perfect cuts along the doorway.)

Since you are transitioning to Carpet, I'd use something like this or this: (an abrupt leading edge is more of a concern then a reasonably high threshold)

Install your tile directly to the 5/8" ext. grade plywood. Use a high-grade polymer fortified thin-set mortar specifically designed for direct application to plywood flooring. I have had very good results, proper application is key. Check it out: Custom Building Products. Your finished height should end up just slightly higher than your old floor, a nice transition bar will prevent any tripping hazard between your carpeted floor and your beautiful new tile.


Is it okay to place two battery chargers on one 30 amp circuit? I have a 30 amp 240 volt circuit out side in my garage and I want to hook up two 10 amp 240 volt circuits.  The equipment I am hooking up are battery chargers.  Can I install fused down disconnects on the 30A circuit?  I looked up the National Electrical Code and section 240.21 talks about a tap.

Am I violating the code?

First things first: ignore the tap conductor rules in the NEC!  You can't use them for receptacles anyway: 240.21(A) refers you to 210.19, which sadly is a bit confusing-looking as it refers to receptacles in two different places, only one of which refers to a notion of 'tap conductor', which furthermore isn't in the NEC's definitions section!  But, 210.19(A)(2):

  Branch Circuits with More than One Receptacle.
  Conductors of branch circuits supplying more than one receptacle for cord-and-
  plug-connected portable loads shall have an ampacity of not less than the
  rating of the branch circuit.

states that conductors on a multiple receptacle outlet branch circuit must have the same ampacity as the rest of the branch circuit (or better, of course), and Exception 1 to 210.19(A)(4):

  Exception No.1: Tap conductors shall have an ampacity sufficient for the load
  served. In addition, they shall have an ampacity of not less than 15 for
  circuits rated less than 40 amperes and not less than 20 for circuits rated
  at 40 or 50 amperes and only where these tap conductors supply any of the
  following loads:

  (a) lndividual lamp holders or luminaires with taps extending not longer than
  450 mm (18 in.) beyond any portion of the lampholder or luminaire.

  (b) A luminaire having tap conductors as provided in 410.117.

  (c) individual outlets, other than receptacle outlets, with taps not over 450 > mm (18 in.) long.

  (d) Infrared lamp industrial heating appliances.

  (e) Nonheating leads of deicing and snow-melting cables and mats.

explicitly excludes receptacle outlets.

This leaves you with two options here:

Put a pair of 6-30 receptacles in the garage (yes, you must use 30A), and leave the circuit otherwise as-is, wiring the new receptacle(s) using 10/2.  (Using 15A receptacles on a 30A circuit violates NEC 210.21(B)(3) and the associated table.)
IF you have a 120/240VAC circuit running to the garage (2 hots, neutral, ground), you can fit a subpanel there and then use a pair of dual pole 15A breakers and 14/2 wire to run independent circuits to 6-15R outlets for each charger.  If the existing 30A circuit was run using 10/2 though, you cannot do this -- single pole breakers aren't rated for 240VAC service!

I recommend adding new circuits for the battery chargers.

Keep that 30 amp 240v intact.  You can use it to hook a generator to your house in case of long term power outage.


How should I seal a drain waste line that I'm no longer using? The waste line from my kitchen sink is plumbed directly into my side sewer via a dedicated pipe that travels along the exterior of my house before tee-ing into the side sewer line. Apparently this was common practice here in the Seattle area in the 20s when my house was built.  We're doing some construction soon that will require us to disrupt this exterior kitchen sink drain line, so we've decided to tie the kitchen waste line into the main waste stack in the interior of the house.

How should I seal the previous waste pipe in the interim period before it's removed from the ground?  Is it acceptable to simply use some patch-and-plug cement?  It could be 3-4 months before the old line is removed.  I obviously want to keep sewer gas out of my house, but are there concerns with the other aspects of the side sewer?

There are different ways this could be sealed easily and correctly. One way would be a rubber overcover with stainless steel band clamp.
I would not remove this sewer line from the ground unless it is corroded or likely to corrode to the point of leaking. At some later date someone might wish to install an outside sink, e.g., for a fish cleaning station, dog washing,  or other use which is incompatible with an inside sink. Cut it off out of the way, and cap it properly.

Try to seal the open tubing with some heavy duty plastic film. Then cap the tubing with a suitable cap. Could you perhaps add a photo?


Why does my fluorescent ceiling fixture trip the GFCI sometimes? Every so often, roughly a 1/20 chance, flipping the light switch to my laundry room's fluorescent fixture will trip the nearby GFCI outlet. Why is this? Is it more likely to be the GFCI being faulty or the fixture itself, like a faulty ballast? Or could it be the light switch? The switch has already been recently replaced, but I don't think I grounded it during installation (it wasn't grounded initially so I left it that way). Could having a light switch that is not grounded cause this phenomenon? The fixture is probably older than 20 years. It uses a double circline bulb.

Interference
The problem could be caused by Electromagnetic interference, or an attempt to filter the interference.
Older Ground-fault circuit interrupting (GFCI) devices may be more susceptible to EMI related nuisance tripping. If you have an older GFCI device, you should first try replacing the GFCI device.
Some fluorescent fixtures have an EMI/RFI filter built into the device, to try and prevent any interference produced by the fixture (ballast or bulbs) from leaving the fixture. In most cases the interference is bled off through the equipment grounding conductor (EGC), which can lead to an imbalance of current between the ungrounded (hot) conductor and the grounded (neutral). This current imbalance may be large enough, and long enough to trip a GFCI device.
Ground-fault
It's quite possible that there may actually be a ground-fault somewhere in the fixture, or the switch. Could be a stray arc somewhere in the fixture when it turns on/off, that causes a small amount of current to leak. It might be worth trying a more modern fixture.
Why is it GFCI protected?
You may want to figure out why the fixture is GFCI protected in the first place. If the protection is not required, removing the GFCI protection will certainly solve your problem.

I have been told by an engineer who designs these, that an inductive inrush current on the line conductor can and will trip the receptacle, it just depends upon the magnitude and time duration of the event. The newer production units are much faster than the older ones and monitor all 3 wired connections. This does apply to a transformer or in your case a lighting ballast. The iron core saturation time constant period does not allow a current to pass beyond it (remember that inductive filters react to a change in current and capacitive filters react to a change in voltage) until the iron core is fully saturated and thus fully mutually inducted - coupled to the secondary or output side. The GFCI sees this as an improper current flow and will operate. It assumes that an external return path for the current (IE a fault) has been found and is being used to complete the circuit and not the hard wired neutral path. Therefore an improper current flow of sufficent magnitude and duration on any of the 3 conductors will operate the device. My original question to him was why did a GFCI placed on the end of a 100ft long 10awg cord trip instantly upon plugging in the cord with or without a load connected to the far end. The answer was that the return (neutral) current for energizing the cord was of an adequate time duration that it was within the parameters of the device recognizing it as a fault current. Do the math, at lamba how long does it takes the initial sine wave to reach the GFCI at the end of the cord, Now the amount of time it takes to enable the logic, literally a null factor and last the same amount of time as the first equation to return the sine back to the neutral commoning point and completely balance the circuit. This last one is what messes up everything. As a check I made a 10ft cord with same GFCI at far end, it did not trip! This is why the large GFCI circuit breakers have adjustable trips. to fit the actual operational aspects of individual circuits.


Correct torque settings for Polaris connectors I am connecting 6 awg aluminum wires and 10 awg copper wires with a Polaris connector for my new cooktop.  What are the correct torque settings?

The torque range will be based on the wire and the connector size, I have the chart printed out so my guys use the right value. #4 connector with #6 wire = 35 in lbs, #10 wire= 15 in lbs.
Connector 1/0 #6 wire= 55 in lbs , #10 wire =25 in lbs.
If you have a different size connector it may not be rated for the wire sizes you have. I printed the chart out several years back but torque values don’t change.

You may want to consider using a bi-metal connector like one of these:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/AlumiConn-2-Port-Al-Cu-Wire-Connector-25-Pack-95025/204958913?cm_mmc=Shopping%7CG%7CVF%7CD27E%7C27-11_TOOLS_%26_ACCESSORIES%7CNA%7CPLA%7c71700000033101173%7c58700003868916496%7c92700031090205821&gclid=CjwKCAjwqZPrBRBnEiwAmNJsNpYT_0CoS-n3l92T4SHlOz76ZT-zTWW-JYJIi-9P3oE-GE0ouv_6hRoCdX0QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

if the Polaris connector you refer to is not specifically designed for bi-metal.


How to change a switched outlet to a half-hot outlet? I'd like to change switched outlet to a half-hot outlet. The wiring of the outlet is shown below. Is there a way to do this using existing wires?

Update on the wiring: using two-way voltage tester, I determined the following:

voltage between B and C is controlled by the switch
always no voltage between A and B
always voltage between A and C

Yes, you can.

Turn off the power.
Add a pigtail from the twist-on wire connector to the top "hot" receptacle terminal.
Break the little metal tab between the "hot" terminals on the receptacle.
Mark the white wire going to the switch with black tape or marker, so the next person knows it's being used as a "hot".

The top outlet should be always hot, while the bottom will be switch controlled.

Use a multimeter to verify my assumptions are correct, before proceeding.

If the feeder is coming from the other side, then you'll want to rewire it like this.

Response to comments about the white/neutral/illegal etc. for controlling an outlet with a switch. This is often used to serve a disposal (the best solution for a disposal installation is to use a product called an airswitch. You may have seen them, the button is then in the corner of the sink in a knockout and matches the finish of your sink). I am an electrical contractor with 20 yrs experience, feel free to heck NEC for confirmation. While it is good practice to label white wires that are used as an ungrounded conductor (make them a "hot wire"), it would hardly be the most egregious error a homeowner could make. It is however in the NEC to label it for use as such: Article 200.7(C)(1) (painting, taping, or other manner for identification).

The best wiring method in my opinion for a switched outlet also depends on how the wires are run to each box.

Scenario one feeds the switch first and then goes to the outlet. Scenario 2 wires runs to the outlet first and then to the switch.

Scenario 1: pretty straight forward here. At switch white neutral wires go together with a wire nut, ground wires also get their own wire nut (pigtail wire from wirenut to the green screw of the switch). Black wires get their own screw (does not matter which wire goes to which black screw). The outlet is then wired as usual. White wire to silver screw, black wire to colored screw, bare wire to green screw. You cannot wire for a "Half hot" with this method, there are not enough conductors.

Scenario 2:

Option A (entire outlet responds to switch): in Receptacle box connect the line hot (black wire coming from panel) to the white wire that goes to switch (mark as mentioned above). Then connect the black wire that comes from the switch to either colored screw on the outlet. Finally connect the "line neutral" (white wire from the panel) to the silver screw on the receptacle). Bare copper wires together with a wirenut with pigtail wire to green screw.

At the switch white wire goes to one screw (mark as discussed), the black goes to the other screw. Bare copper wire goes to green screw.

Option B (half hot):  At receptacle box, with pliers or cutters remove the metal tab that bridges the top screw with the bottom (do not do this with the neutral side of the outlet). Then connect the line neutral (white wire from panel) to either silver screw, next tie the line hot (from label) with the white wire going to the switch with a wirenut. In this same wirenut run a "pigtail" (short black wire) to one of the colored screws. Finally attach the white wire from the switch to the other colored screw (label appropriately). Bare copper wires together with wirenut and bare pigtail wire to green screw.

At the switch (same as before) white wire goes to one screw (mark as discussed), the black goes to the other screw. Bare copper wire goes to green screw.

This method ensures that at the outlet you have a black wire and a white wire connected to the receptacle rather than two white wires or two black wires. (can cause confusion for the lay person).

One of your receptacles will be always hot, the other will be controlled by the switch.

*under no circumstance should you use the bare copper (ground) wire for a neutral or hot. The ground wire is not intended to be a current carrying conductor, and with the adoption of new NEC codes requiring AFCI breakers for almost all circuits in a residence the breaker to continually trip. These breakers sense these disagreements and will break the circuit. It can be costly to have an electrician track this down later if you don't know where it is.

Now congratulate yourself with a beer.

Someone else asked what the purpose of breaking the tab between the silver screws might be used for. If f you need a dedicated circuit for 2 devices and only have a single gang box (one device), break both sets of tabs, connect both blacks to different colored screws, and the whites to the silver screws (make sure the black and white from one cable go to the bottom receptacle and the other pair go to the other outlet. *note that if you mix them up you may not realize it if they are controlled by standard breakers. They will only trip under specific circumstances. So make sure you pair the wires appropriately.  With the AFCI breakers I mentioned earlier, they will immediately trip and not reset until rectified.

*it bears mentioning that new code requires that disposal and dishwasher circuits be GFCI protected. You cannot separate the receptacles for a "half hot" and remain compliant. It is common practice to have a 2gang box with a GFCI Receptacle for both appliances.

Have fun everyone. This is not meant in a condescending manner, i only intend to offer help.


Gas logs / how open does flue need to be opened Either vented or non vetoed gas longs. How open does the flue have to be open. I lose a lot of heat the way it is set now Flue is set to wide open. Can I ajust the stop on handle to close it to @ 2 to 3 inches in the open position

You should be able to dampen the flue as you would with a wood fire to slow burn rate. Bring it down slowly and monitor for smoke intrusion. It doesn't take much to maintain a chimney draft--maybe 25% open.

Do keep a carbon monoxide detector in service as a safety precaution.

Hmmm thinking, you have a gas burning appliance with a designed flue size to vent the proper exhaust gasses out so nobody gets killed from carbon monoxide poisoning and you are wondering if you can close it down in order to get more heat out of a device meant for looks instead of heating. I think the answer should be exremely simple, if you want to continue living just leave it alone. If you feel the need not to wake up one morning or the same for your wife and children if you have these then by all means play with things you should just leave alone. Those were designed for romantic evenings, with the love of your life summer and winter. Just because it's winter and you want heat from it too, then go out and buy the apporpiate appliance to heat your room don't play with things not designed to be played with


How to properly close a chimney hole in the basement I recently removed the old unused wood stove in my basement. I now want to properly condemn the chimney.

I found this question which answers what to do with the chimney outside, but I am still unsure about this hole in my basement.

Behind the gray brick wall is the concrete wall of my basement. (The brick wall will be removed when I get to remodeling the basement). My first idea was to simply brick and mortar the hole, but is it a good way to do this? And should I remove the cast iron ring?

Assuming the flue is not shared by any other devices of combustion on the first floor or above, you can use anything temporarily to block the draft and keep vermin out. you can use some mortar with a metal backing plate. Cut a piece of sheet metal in a rectangular shape slightly narrower than the hole diameter and a few inches taller than the hole. Put a long skinny bolt in the center to use as a handle.  Insert the metal and move it until it is flush against the back blocking the hole. You can then put a scrap of wood with a hole drilled in the center over the bolt and use a nut to secure the metal plate against the back of the hole in the flue.  This will stop your mortar from falling down into the flue and allow you to fill the void completely.  To make it look OK until you renovate, cover the repair with a thimble cover.  There is no need to remove the flue adapter ring.

Use expanding foam. You can paint it as it's not very pretty.


Can I remove the fresh air supply that is attached next to my furnace? It looks like my gas furnace is already vented but I'm not sure. There are two white pipes from the top of the furnace that are vented outside. The furnace is a Trane XR90. We have cold winter climate in Canada

The gas hot water heater has a black pvc pipe to the outside.

All fuel burning devices need an air supply.  In the case of direct vent appliances, there is an air intake to be plumbed to the outdoors as well as an exhaust pipe.  This assures that the appliance is not drawing air into the house through windows, doors, etc. defeating weatherization and sealing.  The combustion chamber in DV appliances is closed and isolated from the room.  Even a direct vent fireplace is completely enclosed to allow no air to enter from—or exit to—the room.

Direct venting is still largely the exception rather than the rule, though DV is gaining favor with many people who prefer higher energy and cost efficiency, so much new construction is now using DV.

A 1950s gas water heater has an air intake, but it simply draws air from its surroundings.

That water heater does not appear to be direct vent, so a general air supply for it is needed and the "floating beanstalk" air tube is a reasonable way to achieve ventilation—removing it would be "bad".

It occurs to me to try to decrease the chilling effect the intake causes for the room by moving it closer to the water heater, and maybe even "boxing it off" somewhat.  However, if the outdoor air is very cold, like below -30°C/-22°F, and there is a lot of airflow, such an arrangement could damage the plumbing and tank by freezing water in the pipes, etc.

I have seen people put a 5 gallon bucket under that vent. If your house has new windows or has been upgraded ,by which makes your house tighter, you need that vent to breath for the furnace and water Heater.


Difference between blue and grey blue coaxial ports I have blue coaxial ports in almost every room in my house. What the heck are they for? Are these regular cable jacks? Maybe I am confused since cat5e jacks are also blue colored? To add to the confusion, some of the cable jacks in my house are grey, not blue.

There's no difference between the colors. In locations with lots of different AV sources, different colored connectors are used to differentiate between sources. I'm guessing one installer had a pouch full of blue connectors, and another installer had gray.

The connectors in your home may have come from different manufacturers, or different times in history. So there may indeed be a difference in quality, and/or construction.  This, however, has nothing to do with the color of the connector.

F connectors (and coaxial cable) are commonly used to transmit cable, satellite, and broadcast television signals.

The color represents the frequency that that port will suport. Directv uses orange. Blue is a universal white is used by mostly Cox and local cable companies. There is also red


Moisture on crawlspace dirt/clay floor Our house has a damp/musty smell to it when you first enter.  Once you open a window/door the smell usually dissipates. In May (Chicago-land) the humidity in the house is about 30% upstairs and 40% in the crawlspace while dehumidifiers run on both floors.

We noticed that of our crawlspace dirt floor is moist, almost mud-like, along the front side of our house.  See picture below.  The floor moisture creeps forward a foot during heavy rains, and recedes a foot during dry spells, but almost never disappears entirely. The rest of the crawlspace floor is dry.

We notice no cracks in the foundation wall, and no water lines running down the wall.  We recently installed a French drain to reduce the amount of water hitting the front of the house (the floor dampness existed before installing the drain).  The gutters dump water into a pipe system that the sump pump uses, and shouldn't be dumping water at the foundation of the house.

Our sump pump runs routinely, about every 10 minutes during rain and every 30 minutes during dry spells.  Ground water is always slowly pouring into the sump pit.

Is this damp ground something to be concerned about?  Can it be fixed? Is it possible that the damp smell comes from the crawlspace floor moisture, or from something else?  How can we get rid of the damp smell? We want to hire mold specialists to test and clean the crawlspace but are afraid their work will be wasted if we don't eliminate the source of the moisture first.

You will need to seal the basement walls and the basement floor to accomplish this.

I have seen the dirt removed from around the face of the basement walls and then the walls sealed and the dirt returned - generally it is a trenching around the basement wall of the house - but I have only seen them do one wall.

There is another way to do it that is easier and works from the inside of the house:

how-to-waterproof-basement


Will this isolating valve allow me to change a radiator valve without draining down? One of the valves on my radiator (circled in red) has seized and my attempts to open it have snapped off the flat part of the head, so it now needs replacing.
My plan is to turn the isolating valve next to it to the vertical position and the other radiator valve (pictured for completeness) to zero.
Will this allow me drain just the radiator so I can change the valve circled in red?

Yes, that will work.
Just take care draining the rad, as the "water" can come out black and it stains anything :)

Kind of.
The valve on the 1st picture only cuts off 1 of the pipes to the radiator. There is still pressure and water on the other pipe that feeds the radiator (2nd pipe with the large white thermostat valve). If you only shut 1 off, then if you unscrew the radiator, water will still be coming in on the other pipe.
To be able to shut the water off to this radiator, you need these isolating valves on both the pipes going to the radiator.
If there is only 1 isolating value, make sure the other valve is fully turned off past the '0' and to the '*' .
Ideally, you need a pair of adjustable spanner and a pair of grips. Hold the valve body still with the grips and use the adjustable to unscrew. Holding it steady is important as if you yank it too hard and it moves too much, it may displace somewhere else and create another leak.
Have a container ready underneath to catch the water and you may need to fill this, close value, empty tub, then reopen a few times until the radiator is completely empty. The water can also be quite black, so also have an old towel to hand.
These valves are not meant to have the plastic cover turn the valve. These need to be done with an adjustable spanner. Please try this first as it may be OK.
If you need to change the whole valve body, keep the nut and olive on the pipe from the old, as removing an olive can be tricky and not necessary, as long as the new and old fittings are the same screw size. It is also a good idea to put a few turns of PTFE on an olive as this very much reduces the chances of leaks. Also, make sure you use 7-9 turns of PTFE tape on the new thread going into the radiator.
If Leaking:
If the valve is leaking on the threaded side (right side to the rad), as opposed to the underside compression fitting (to the pipe). I would first suggest you do not fit a new valve, as the compression is fine. But unscrew the right thread, clean and remove any PTFE tape. And then wrap around some more PTFE on it. At least 7-9 turns, it is surprising how much can go in. Then re-screw tightly and fill and check for leaks.
If the compression is leaking, I would still avoid changing, as removing the olive (round copper ring) can be difficult. I would keep the olive in place on the pipe and wrap a few turns of PTFE on the olive and then retighten. Removing an olive which has been fixed to a pipe can be difficult for a novice.


What is the cheapest way to add texture to a wall The previous home owners used a perforating tool to remove wallpaper, and just painted over all the holes and lines.  I am in desperate need of some texture with no budget.  I need to put a new baby in the room.  I don't want to buy a hopper, and the cans of texture are way too expensive.  I don't think I have a steady enough hand to do skip trowel.  Is there another inexpensive way to texture my walls?

Since you should paint over any texture you apply, combine the two into one step and use a texture paint such as popcorn or sand, both available from Home Depot (similar products are available at other stores).

Alternatively, if you already have some paint, mix your own using a texture additive:

I once had the challenge of matching an existing knockdown texture for a customer and made this knockdown tool for about $15. The only other things you will need are a wide taping knife and a 5 gallon bucket of drywall mud. Read the details at


Asbestos in concrete foundation Clear and simple: is it possible that there is asbestos in the poured concrete foundation of a US home built in 1951?

I am worried about this, because I want to drill holes in the basement concrete walls and I'm worried that I might release asbestos fibers if it was added to the concrete. I read somewhere that asbestos was added to concrete in order to strengthen it, but I don't know if this was the case in concrete used as the foundation of a home.

Possible, yes.

Likely in a residential foundation, no.

To know for sure, spend money testing - unfortunately the only way to know, as there are no visible clues in this application, evidently.

http://www.concreteconstruction.net/industrial-projects/asbestos-and-old-buildings.aspx

No never not once in poured concrete. Do not listen to any tales of otherwise.  It serves no purpose in poured concrete.


Ceiling fan lightbulb replacement I have tried unscrewing the top four screws and the bottoms four. I have no ideas left on how to take the glass off eithlut basically completely disassembling the fan.

You are correct in that no sane manufacturer would build something that would require disassembly of the fan to change the light bulbs.

This looks like a split glass assembly, you might have a locking ring above the fan blades, if it is a locking ring type unscrew the locking ring and it would drop down and allow you to slide one glass side out in order to change the bulbs. You might have to remove the blades to do this - but I can not be sure.

Since you do not list the make and model it is difficult to give more specifics.

Try finding the fan's model number on the housing.  Look up the model information from the manufacturer's website.  This may be a sealed LED light housing.  Personally, I do not like sealed LED lights for ANYTHING.  They NEVER last as long as they claim.
Ok, enough ranting - if it is a sealed LED light fixture your only options are to get another LED light kit from the manufacturer or install an entire new fan/light combo.  Another reason NOT to purchase any fixtures (fan or otherwise) with sealed LEDs.  Always purchase fixtures with bulbs - if you prefer LED then purchase the bulb and screw in. :)


What direction should laminate flooring be placed in? I'm thinking of installing laminate flooring and have a question: If I'm installing laminate throughout the house, should ALL of it be going in the same direction?

Say for example, let's say I have a hallway that is perpendicular to a large living room.

---------------
|             |
|             |
|             |
|             |--------------------
|
|
|             |--------------------
|             |
|             |
---------------

In the layout above, would all of the laminate be installed "left to right" for both the living room and hallway? Or could it be installed in one direction for one room and installed in a different direction for the other room?

Strip flooring can be installed in any direction in any room, however the convention is to run parallel with the longest wall in most situations. Rarely is this type of flooring run perpendicular to walls in a hallway. Not only does it tend to make a hallway look narrower than it actually is, but can cause a lot of waste of material when installing. Don't be afraid of changing directions from the room to the hallway if your using a good wood product that can be cut cleanly on a table or chop saw. You simply need to make a very straight and slightly back angled edge (maybe 2 degrees) so the adjoining 90 degree slats are tight with no open gaps. This is extremely difficult to do with cheap laminate, but not so much with a good wood product.

There are transition pieces available for both styles, but they usually involve a change of floor level like a threshold and are not a good idea to use on open flooring, as they can create a tripping hazard, however they are fine to use in doorways etc.  If you really want to have different directions between spaces, consider using a darker color "frame" around the room. This can make a very attractive transition to a large hallway or separate use area in an open design.

Let me add that I am NOT a fan of laminate flooring. Laminate flooring comes in a wide variety of quality levels, from extremely poor to fairly good, but share a common trait. They are always a "picture" of wood on some pressed paper or synthetic backing. They can be miserable to work with, easily damaged and almost impossible to repair after installation. Consider an engineered wood "click lock" instead. Pricing is very close and the engineered products usually are much more stable due to having a solid plywood backing, and somewhat refinish-able with a true hardwood veneer. They also handle the occasional water spill much better than most laminates that usually swell, bubble and blister at the site of water!

Another serious consideration is what type of flooring to use in a large high traffic area vs a smaller room. Laminates are almost always floating and will invariably sound hollow and creak as the temperature changes. For instances, walking across a cold laminate floor first thing in the morning can be like entering a haunted house at a fun park! Seriously investigate the advantages of a better quality engineered product.

I would recommend laminate over engineered. I bought top of the line engineered hardwood and it was ruined in the first year with scratches from the dog, furniture and everything else under the sun.


Can two ground rods be bonded via a PVC conduit above ground? According to my understanding, if a supplementary ground rod is installed, it must be bonded to the existing rod via a buried 6 AWG cable (NFPA 70).

However, because virtually every side of my house is paved, I have no access to the soil around the ground rods. Could I use a 4- or 6-gauge wire running above ground through a PVC conduit via the basement to bond the two ground rods?

The new ground rod is for a TV antenna, and I have been told it is very unwise to ground it to the meter, which is just several feet away.

Note: The house needs to pass inspection, so please keep that in mind.

This question regards code compliance, which is not specifically requested in this post: Bonding Ground Rod for Rooftop Antenna.

I can find nowhere in the NEC that says that you must bury inter-electrode bonding jumpers.  In fact, 250.64(B) explicitly allows for running grounding electrode conductors (such as inter-electrode bonding jumpers) along construction or otherwise aboveground when suitably protected against physical damage, etc.:

  Securing and Protection Against Physical Damage.
  Where exposed, a grounding electrode conductor or its enclosure shall be
  securely fastened to the surface on which it is carried. Grounding electrode
  conductors shall be permitted to be installed on or through framing members. A
  4 AWG or larger copper or aluminum grounding electrode conductor shall be
  protected if exposed to physical damage. A 6 AWG grounding electrode conductor
  that is free from exposure to physical damage shall be permitted to be run
  along the surface of the building construction without metal covering or
  protection if it is securely fastened to the construction; otherwise, it shall
  be protected in rigid metal conduit (RMC), intermediate metal conduit (IMC),
  rigid polyvinyl chloride conduit (PVC), reinforced thermosetting resin conduit
  (RTRC), electrical metallic tubing (EMT), or cable armor. Grounding electrode
  conductors smaller than 6 AWG shall be protected in RMC, IMC, PVC, RTRC, EMT,
  or cable armor. Grounding electrode conductors and grounding electrode bonding
  jumpers shall not be required to comply with 300.5.

Of course, you'll have to double-check with your local inspectors, though -- they may have some local requirement for burial of bonding jumpers.

We're talking about noise issues on the common bus.  Two scenarios: high voltage and its for life safety, or high sensitivity and its for unbalanced audio or RF signal fidelity.

It was my understanding that the usual practice is to stake diametrically opposite sides within the concrete formwork for the foundation pad, at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock position with your grounding electrodes, then lay a loop of bare grounding wire within the footprint of the pad formwork, and go around the clock with that loop, and bond it to both the electrodes on the way by, so that theres a current path possible either way around the ring, and you end up with the two ends of the bare ground wire to cary current shorted to ground.  All this cable gets encased in concrete when the pad is poured, probably could be encased in rubble that'll protect it, the point is lots of contact with earth on the ground bus, and the buried cable adds to that, and as for the PVC, as for the NEC, as if dual electrodes alone were not enough, there is a need for a highly reliable ground, i believe when there is significant unbalance between high voltage poles resulting in significant common current which is shorted to your grounding rods, so they had better be the path of least resistance.  Related: Faraday Cage.

Yes it is the unbalance between the current on the poles that leads to current on common, if your common bus is tied to the "ground" bus, but ground bus is not really in fact well bonded to earth, that is if you "lift ground" you may be able to detect current between common and ground, which i have felt jolts of electricity, and detected by illuminating an LED with the energy between common and earth from an unbalanced, and poorly grounded installation of an electric fence generator, long story.  So yes, if you "ground to the meter" you might pick up some nasty transients on ground that are going to bias your radio frequency signal with the clicker or 60 hz harmonic noise, so in theory having a separate ground network for your RF circuits is going to be quieter, but if everything was actually well bonded to earth per code and on that one good ground bus you have your meter common and your tv ground, it should be really quiet, an EQUIPOTENTIAL SURFACE BONDED TO EARTH but there are high frequency harmonics and noise is complex and unpredictable.

In PA audio, you may sometimes encounter a noisy ground and elect to lift the ground with a switch on the mixer or by disconnecting the ground pin at the power plug, or by plugging all PA gear into the same outlet on the same phase, thus your PA ground reference voltage is no longer sensing the noise due to unbalance on the common bus as mixed in noise and can form its own equilibrium assume some quiet unperturbed value, that all the mic's and generators and pre-amplifiers can agree upon, to achieve a higher signal to noise ratio, that factor of fidelity that crackles into analog RF signals.  Of course you have to shield your signal wires or they become aerials, too, and there you may/may not want to be earth bonded or ground lifted, I'd have to experiment to say.  Related: Direct Inject Box and Ground Lift.

DTV, FM-HQ, FHSS and other Digital RF systems seem to be robustly tolerant of noise, but if its DTV you're picking up, i'd say there is a small chance that NEC proper earth bonding could play a determining factor in your ability to tune into a particular station.  The combinations of ground, aerial antenna, cabling, signal attenuators, and tuner, could be tricky to buzz out, and you might find performance differences between makes of tuners to be more hit an miss than your ground quality.


What are some ways to wire rear speakers in a home theater system? I have two rear speakers, that I never use, since I don't have a good way (yet) to wire them.
I have a hardwood floor. And the side of the room that is nearest to the TV+Audio source is open. So I don't have a wall to run the cable next to it.

If you're installing in room where you can't drop above or below the room to run your cables, consider putting up crown molding -- it typically leaves a small channel behind it which is ideal for hiding speaker cables.

You can then punch holes in the top of the wall where you need to run vertically, fish the wires through, staple it up into the corner, then install the crown molding to hide everything.

You can also go the low route, and hide them behind your baseboards, but there isn't always a void behind them, so this could get a little messier if you have to trim away drywall (or plaster in older homes) to create a channel you can use.  You also have problems with baseboards if you have to go past any doorways.

I would just get a sound bar.

not as good as actual 2 back speakers, but better then 2, and can't beat its simplicity (one item replacing 4 speakers, a dvd player and the AV box).


Bathroom over sink lighting bar I have a newer stainless three bulb light bar over my sink, and one of the lights single glass shades keeps loosening up and wants to fall off,only the bulb keeps it from doing so. The retaining ring will not screw on to the ceramic socket tight enough, it's very loose, I tried another ring from the other two lights and they are the same way but they seem to fit ok on the other lights, as I can tighten them up correctly and I'v had no problem. I have the clear bulbs in them and they do get really hot, could this be a problem, if so I'll opt for a newer type bulb. Do they make a smaller ring for these sockets to tighten them more securely?
Leonce

This may sound a bit weird but I have used colored modeling clay to tighten up the ceramic rings that were loose. The heat from the fixture sets the clay and it wont come out. So If it doesn't look right take it apart and wipe it down before the clay has time to dry. Also make sure your lamps are not a higher wattage than the fixture is rated for. Last can you hear a buzzing in that 1 lamp? I have had a few over the years that the element in the lamp must not have been supported correctly and they made an audible buzz. This could be a source of vibration but it is rare (changing the lamp would solve the problem if it was buzzing).

How about Teflon tape??   I found it to really hold nice on those crappy ceramic rings.


Why only a few volts between the legs of a 240 V 3-wire dryer outlet? I installed a new dryer in our house.  It runs but won't heat.  It has a 240V 3 wire connection.  There is a 30 amp double pole breaker installed in the breaker box. (the box is very old)  I've read that you should get 120V from each leg to the neutral which I do.  I also read that you should get 240V across the two.  Only a few volts register on the meter, not 240.
How is this possible and what changes should I make to correct this?

Is it possible that both poles are connected to the same phase (e.g., if your house only has 120-volt service)?

Look at the vertical location of your double pole breaker. The first 2 slots in a column are on one phase, the next two are on the other phase. A double pole breaker has to have one connection to each phase, so it has to start on an even location. Look at the breaker for the stove, your dryer needs to be an even number of locations away from it.


What are the pros and cons of adding a vapor barrier behind shower backer board? After much research, I have a lot of conflicting advise about the need to add a vapor barrier before installing the backer (hardy / cement) board for my bathroom shower.
The "expert" at Home Depot, and another guy on youtube seem to think this is a very good idea, and even suggest sealing it with roofing tape.  (The guy on Youtube tapes it directly to the sill of tub.)
However, when I asked about the tape and how far down I should go at Lowes, they told me they'd never hear of anyone doing that, and that it didn't seem like a good idea.   Likewise, Ask This Old House only recommends putting down caulking on the sill before applying the backer board, and then again after before adding tile, and then caulking a 3rd time under the tiles before grouting.
Should I add a vapor barrier between the frame and the cement board?  Why or why not?

You should NOT place a vapor barrier BEHIND the backer board.

Where, pray tell, would any such collected vapor/water go?

Answer:There's nowhere proper for such moisture to egress.

The current best practice is to place waterproofing OVER the backetboard and just UNDER the tile.  Thin sheet membranes like Kerdi or NobleFlex are examples
. Paint on membranes can also be used, such as RedGuard or AquaDefense.

This a is a recent job I completed illustrating Kerdi over Hardibacker.

http://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/200 gives some fairly good guidance.  There are several kinds of backer boards.  If it's a cement board, you need a vapor barrier, because cement retains moisture, which means the wood next to it is always damp.


What can I use as a temporary noise insulation on a door that connects bedroom and bathroom? our bathroom has 2 doors and we only use one. The other one remains shut and it connects to a bedroom. We do not intend on ever opening it (but we are renting the place so we need something that eventually we could remove easily).

Is there anything we could add to that connecting door to reduce bathroom noise?

Fill the cracks around the door, especially at the bottom with egg crate foam. Cut it up and pack it in. Preventing air movement will help a lot with preventing sound transfer.

An alt to the foam is weather stripping. This would be a more permanent solution that will allow for the door to be used and still help to deaden the sound. Something that would would have to bug your landlord about before doing it.

Once that is done putting something solid in front of the door on the other side like a bookcase or decorative rug will help even more. If you can hang towels on the bathroom side as well that will help a little bit.


What is this electric burner connector? It looks a bit like a female spade connector, but it has a couple of "tails" at the back of the curled part that lock it into the ceramic block, and a ramp at the front that guides the burner's contacts into place.

The metal of the connector on the right has gotten charred and has disintegrated where the burner contacts it.
Can I just find a replacement connector, or do I need to get an entire receptacle replacement kit?

You will probably have to replace the entire receptacle. Thats a special spade connector and you don't want to jury rig the contacts. The last I replaced one similar to this, it came with the wires already crimped to the connectors so all I had to do was connect the wires to the switches.

I believe they are called 1/4” tab connectors.
These have a folded tab under with a small hole. I suppose you could unfold it to 90 deg. Or shape as required.
I doubt the  plastic crimp sleeve can withstand the heat, so keep looking for :
PIGGY BACK FASTON UNINSULATED TERMINAL RECEPTACLES
and you have have luck getting the same crimp receptacle.
Called :
    TE Internal #: 9-160463-2
    TE Internal Description: PIDG PIGGYB.FAST.
    Alias #:915344-000 AMPS-9-0160463-2
    All PIDG PIGGY BACK FASTON TERMINAL (2)

Before you select your replacement, make sure it is better than the ones being replaced that failed from thermal conduction in the mechanical mount.
Look here


Just bought a house, 70 years old, want to upgrade 2 prong outlets I've done some searching on this already and I think I know the answer. But I'd like to ask just to double check.

If i am not sure if the outlets are properly grounded, my best bet would be to replace the 2 prong outlets with GFCI outlets, correct? Actually, i suppose someone is going to say my best bet would be to first find out for sure if they are properly grounded or not :) Could someone suggest a relatively inexpensive tool for doing that?

If the boxes are correctly grounded, then I should be able to just replace the 2 prong outlets with regular 3 prong outlets, correct?

For right now, I mainly want to swap out a 2 prong outlet in the living room that the TV and the rest of the media/gaming stuff will be plugged in to. But there are 2 prong outlets scattered around the house that I'll probably also want to eventually replace.

I would be somewhat surprised if everything is correctly grounded since the wiring in the house is pretty old, it's all knob and tube wiring. Although the home inspector said it all looks like it's in pretty good shape. Eventually we'll have an electrician come in and replace all the wiring, but for now it's staying as is.

I would not put a 3-socket outlet on a 2-socket system, even though a lot of electricians do it. The neutral and ground are not the same thing. Neutral is part of the circuit and has electricity flowing through it. Ground does not have electricity flowing through it, unless there is a short. There is already a topic on why you should not connect the ground and the neutral.

If you think you can guarantee an earth ground, then hook it up and test it like this:

(1) hot and neutral CORRECT VOLTAGE

(2) hot and ground CORRECT VOLTAGE

(3) neutral and ground NO CONTINUITY

The outlet should pass all three tests. In other words if you put a connectivity tester on the neutral and ground sockets it should NOT beep. If you put the continuity tester between the neutral and the ground and it throws a huge spark and melts, then you just found out you did something wrong.


Any problem with installing two identical circuit breakers in series? Suppose I want to reduce risk of a circuit breaker malfunctioning and failing to disconnect a shorted circuit.

What if I install two identical breakers sequentially (one after another) so that if one of them fails the other one steps in and disconnects the circuit? Is there any problem with such installation?

There is no problem here.

In fact, this is often how subpanels are configured; the main panel has a breaker that feeds the subpanel, and the subpanel has individual circuits protected with their own breakers. The subpanel will have an amp rating. The minimum of the subpanel rating and the ampacity rating of the wire feeding the subpanel will dictate the appropriate breaker for the main panel.

Appliances that require their own local disconnects (such as air conditioners, water heaters, etc.) frequently use a small enclosure with space for just one circuit breaker. This could be a good option for whatever application you are thinking of.

Putting two breakers of same size and rating in series can be dangerous. manufacturers give the short circuit breaking current for ONE device.
Modern CB operated with the magnetic force generated during the short circuit. This magnetic repulsion of the contacts is linked to the energy generated during the short circuit. The breakers are designed to open according to this energy generated during the short circuit. the opening time and speed is defined according to this energy. If two breakers are in series it impossible to predicte the energy at the level of the two devices. The energy is distributed over the two devices. And the operation time and openning speed can be slower than with only one breaker. Putting two breaker of same size and same rating can be dangerous.


How can a GFI installed on an ungrounded two-wire line be verified? From an online source:

  Your outlet tester may do double-duty as a GFCI outlet tester, simulating a ground-fault by the push of a button on it. There is a limitation here. Unlike a good GFI, which can test itself even without a good ground, the three-prong GFI outlet tester depends on a good ground to purposely trip the GFI; and this is also true when it is used to try tripping the GFI by pushing the tester's button at standard receptacles wired downstream from it.

If one doesn't trust the test button on the GFI, and one knows the outlet tester can give a false negative in this scenario, how does one verify the circuit protection?

You can put a load across the Line Live and the Load Neutral or the Load live and the Line neutral (this is what the test button will do) or between one of the Load conductors and a grounded conductor. This should trip the GFI.

However doing this while the GFI is properly installed is difficult and dangerous because the connections should be hidden and it requires you to poke around a live circuit.

GFIs without a ground are legal but the sockets should be marked with a "no equipment ground" label.

If you were to read this: HOW GROUND FAULT CIRCUIT INTERRUPTERS WORK.

You can see that all you need to do is utilize a 15K Ohm Resistor across the Line and the Neutral to trip it. Pages 14 - 18 of that document should reflect this. You can make your own tester this way.

As noted by a commenter the resistor needs to be placed from neutral prior to the sensing circuit of the GFCI to the Hot After the GFCI sensing circuit.
This will appropriately create a TEST circuit like that which is found in the documentation linked to..

While there are ways of getting around the need to remove the outlet from it's box it should not be attempted by anyone who does not know what they are doing. I will leave that to those who are knowledgeable enough to figure it out.


Suggestions for building plywood landing and connecting to concrete stoop? I would like to add a plywood landing to the garage and kitchen door entryway from the concrete stoop.  The Cinder block garage, which was built later and abuts the house, has a horizontal crack that runs below where I want to attach a 2”x4” ledger with concrete screws.  The plywood landing, which would connect to the sloped stoop, would be about 29” x 8’ with some sort of railing.
Is it necessary to chip out and re-point the cinder block bed joints with mortar? It is getting pretty cold for mortar to set here in Northern Illinois. I can try to notch the legs that support the ledger but the floor is pretty uneven too.
I was planning on attaching a ledger to the wall and stoop in a L shape fashion.  Since the stoop has a slope should I just add a transition piece or should I build it sloped to match?
Also, the stair rise is high, the first stair is 10 1/2” and the second one to the top of the landing is 7 1/4”.  Should I just add a wood step to the bottom floor and secure it somehow?
This is for an 84 year old elderly family member who has a hard time with the steps. Any tips you may have on construction and design are appreciated.
Thank-you

I would build it more or less exactly as you've sketched it, but on posts like a deck. Don't attempt to suspend it on the block wall. Build a conventional floor system with 2x6 sides and joists on 16" centers, then cover it with 3/4" plywood.
Drop six legs to the slab fastened to and supporting the rim joists. I'd probably use one 2x4 under the rim and one against it and lapping onto the joist, inside. Be aware that these will vary in height to accommodate slope in the slab.
Post detail:
 __ __
|  |  |
|  |  |<-- rim joist
|  |  |
|  |__|
|  |  |
|  |  |<-- outer leg member
|  |  |
| <|--|--- inner leg member
|  |  |

You can then fasten it to the block to hold position, but you're not relying on that connection for load bearing. You could also just put a dab of construction adhesive under each post to lock it in place.
As to the slope in the concrete stoop, I'd consider twisting the deck to go from sloped at the concrete to level at the other end. It really depends on what the user prefers, though. The alternative is to set the deck level with the low point on the stoop and create a small transition wedge to blend with the concrete.
A good railing strategy is just to use 2x2 spindles on 5-1/4" centers with a 2x4 top rail (oriented vertically). Optionally cap that with another 2x4 or 2x6 to create more of an elbow rest. Fasten each spindle to the rim joist with two 2-1/2" screws.
The stoop step is a conundrum. Your idea to build a wooden bottom step has merit, but stair sets with random rise heights are a problem. I'd consider building a full 3x3 landing 7-1/4" down from the lower tread, leaving you with two uniform rises above the landing. Mentally this is less likely to result in stumbles.

If it was me I would go sideways with a ramp and a banister/handle or build a ramp over the stairs and I would demand he use a walker in the house.  If he can't negotiate those steps he should be using a walker around the house and you need a ramp for that.  I would then attach it to the concrete floor and steps with a few lines of construction adhesive/liquid nails.  I would NOT attempt to modify the concrete in any way.  You want to be able to demolish it when it's no longer needed.
Really push him to use a walker around the house.  All it takes is a fall and break a hip or something and he will never be able to be out of a nursing home again.  It is really important at that age.  And I think you need to get the house evaluated anyway since this is sure to not be the only dangerous place in the house for someone that old who can't negotiate those stairs.


Goodman GMH95 furnace won't ignite I've run into a problem with my Goodman GMH95 furnace not igniting...

Background: At the beginning of summer, the capacitors in my AC condenser outside caught fire. It roasted the wires in the condenser, shorted out the compressor and fried the control board in my furnace. I replaced the AC condenser and the control board in the furnace. The AC has been working great all summer.

Now we've had a few cooler nights and it (finally) occurred to me that I had not checked the heat. So I turned the thermostat up. Guess what? No heat. I noticed a char mark on the connector for the gas valve and replaced the gas valve yesterday. Still no heat.

Here's what happens:
1. I turn the thermostat up to call for heat.
2. The draft inducer fan starts.
3. The pressure switches both close (one on the blower box, one on the coil? cover).
4. The igniter starts glowing and glows for about 10 seconds.
5. After about 5 seconds, the gas valve receives 24V on the orange wire for about 3 seconds while the igniter is on. I do not hear any click or smell any gas from the gas valve.
6. The igniter turns off.
7. The blower runs for about 15 seconds longer.
8. The blower shuts off.
9. Repeat steps 2-8 two more times.

I checked the pressure switches by applying vacuum and monitoring the resistance across the sensors. Both close at very low vacuum. I can also hear both close when the draft inducer fan turns on.

I cleaned the flame sensor for good measure.

I'm wondering if I got a bad gas valve. It was an eBay purchase of a (supposedly) new part. I imagine it's possible I got a bad one.

What else should I check before I buy another gas valve?

If you are getting voltage to the meter but no gas it is either a bad gas valve or no gas. Check you have gas supply. If it were the pressure switches you would not trigger the igniter. If it were the flame proving system it would light and then go out after 2-3 seconds. If it were the circuit board you wouldn’t get 27 volts at the gas valve. No gas or very low volume or bad gas valve. I have seen where a clogged gas pipe would give me pressure but as soon as the gas valve opens the pressure drops to nothing, restricted line.

I had the same problem. Make sure you have a Goodman hot surface igniter and not a hot rod or other universal igniter.


Vapor Barrier Advice My carpenter installed a metal bulkhead to box in some plumbing. My question is, how can I effectively install a vapor barrier here? I was able to insulate behind the bulkhead, but now the top plate is inaccessible so I can't start my vapor barrier there.

Any advice? Should I wrap the barrier (poly) around the bulk head?

It's highly likely you don't need or want an actual vapor barrier here. These horrible things are still popular in the frigid north climes like Canada, but they truly aren't needed in a well-insulated wall like the one you have. Even up there, on average they cause more problems than they solve and substantially reduce a wall's ability to dry. They can also become mold machines if the space is ever air conditioned and you have stucco or stone wall cladding on the outside. Good choice using mineral wool.

Bottom line: skip the vapor barrier and don't worry about it. Just install your drywall.


Are there drawbacks to using solar panels as a roof without asphalt shingles underneath? If you're working with a new construction or a very old roof in need of full replacement, why not forego asphalt shingles altogether when installing solar panels on the roof?  It seems like a waste to stack panels on top of new shingles.

You need a WRB on that roof somewhere
One thing all roofs need is some way to shed water.  Asphalt shingle roofs use the shingles themselves as the primary water-resistive barrier (WRB), often backed up by a secondary barrier (roofing felt).  Other roof technologies, such as metal roofs, have their WRB underneath the roof cladding instead.  However, this depends on the roof cladding being a full-coverage sort of thing, which isn't true for solar panels as panels need air circulation for cooling and wiring space behind them for connections and equipment.
You can get solar roof products that serve as a roof cladding, but they still require a WRB underneath them, and such building-integrated photovoltaic systems require more care in wiring as well due to issues with the potential for wiring damage from roof incidents.  They're also harder to replace than a conventional panel if they do get damaged, say by hail, and pose challenges under the current NEC rapid shutdown rules.

The roof we put on our prperty has the solar panels being the outer or final weather layer.
It was designed with a 6” gap underneath - well there are a few support beams but it helps keep it cool.
There is a membrane fitted to waterproof just in case.
It is at a 70 degree slope so it is self cleaning and each panel can be removed due to the type of fixings used. But they came with the panels.
The inverter is designed to do the disconnection to the standards in our country.