ABS offset toilet flange dilemma. Suggestions to make my 11" rough-in into a 12" rough-in. USA Recently I started a thread to get advice on how to move a flange for a toilet so that I can wind up with a 12" rough-in when I'm done. It's problematic since I can't really work with the ABS under the floor. It wasn't done properly and has the drain for the tub, the sink and the toilet all going into the same toilet drain. See photos below. To do it correctly would cost around $5K, according to a quote we got from a plumber recently.

To summarize from my previous thread I removed three layers of linoleum, two layers of fir planking and am now down to the bare joists. I cut away the flared portion of the flange and as you can see the hubs for both the ABS align with the hub of the offset flange. Meaning, they are both four inches in diameter. Also, now that so many layers of flooring has been removed I am wondering if I can shave off a bit of the hub from both the ABS drain pipe in the floor along with removing part of the hub from the offset flange to help bring it down lower. The hubs on both measure 1.5" in length. If I can remove an inch off of each hub to eliminate two inches and be left with just one inch to work with this would help a lot.

I thought I could buy some ABS piping that could fit inside both the flange hub and ABS hub in the floor. It would basically be a one inch ring connecting both hubs from the inside.

Once I put my 3/4" plywood over the joists, cement sheet rock and possibly a leveling compound followed by 1" hexagon porcelain tile I am confident that I can get the metal ring of the offset flange to sit flush against the new final height of the floor.

But I am wondering if my idea is bad one or if anyone can suggest better ideas. I really want to use the offset flange to not only give me about an extra inch from the back wall but also want to place it diagonally to allow an extra inch away from the side wall. It's a bit too close to the side wall. This is a 2" offset flange, by the way.

I've also included a very bad drawing to help provide a visual as far as getting my idea across without any confusion.

A summary with pics:

Here is a pic of the old flange in place:

After sawing off the flared portion of the flange I am left with this:

I am going to attempt to carefully grind away the rest of the flange that is bonded on the inside of the ABS in the floor to be able to re-bond the new ABS "ring" I will cut to size to connect the new offset flange in place.

Another angle where you can see all the the other ABS drain lines that connect to the toilet drain line:

^ This is why I simply can't just extend the horizontal portion of the ABS under the floor to give me a 12" rough-in. I' have to redo all the drain pipes that connect to one drain. It would be a real pain.

Setting my new offset 4x3 flange on top of the ABS hub in the floor. They are the same diameter:

My (very bad) drawing summarizing what I am trying to do:

After sawing away the old flared portion of the flange I can see that only about a half inch of ABS from the old flange made a permanent bond with the ABS drain pipe in the floor. So this is why I am wondering if I can make the hubs a half inch in length and create a "ring" with ABS to fit inside each one to make this work.

Hope to hear back and get some input, thanks!

You can get a flange that fits inside a 4" pipe, or if you remove inside get one that sits inside a 4" hub.


What should I do about water dripping into my smoke detector from the attic after a heavy rain? I live in the Midwest of the United States, and we not-too-rarely get a large amount of rain coming down at one time both in the spring and sometimes in the fall. Last night was no different (aside from random earthquakes..) than usual, but after I went to bed, my smoke alarm went off. I quickly determined that there was in fact no fire, so I went to take the smoke alarm off of its mounting and when I removed it, I found that there was a decent amount of water in the smoke detector. If I had to guess I'd say about 50 mL. So not a huge amount, but enough to set it off.

I left it off for a time, and did not notice any more water coming from the opening in the ceiling (which is a recess where the detector and power wiring sits, not fully open to the attic (just where the wires come in, as far as I know. I didn't examine it terribly closely), even though it was still raining fairly hard (though not nearly as hard as it had been).

This morning, I went to have a look around the attic to see if I could see anywhere it was leaking (it is still misting outside, but not raining any longer), but I was unable to detect any wet spots in the roof.

What should my next step be? The roof (and indeed the house) is 1 year old, so I would hope that it hasn't sprung a leak, but I can't think of how else water would have gotten into the smoke detector. I also suspect paying someone to go and try to find a leak is going to be fairly expensive as well.

The detector itself appears to be working. If I test it, and it functions, should I still replace it because of potential water damage?

Update

Here is a picture of the socket in question, and there is indeed cool air coming from it. I'm not totally convinced it is just condensation, elsewise this would have happened last year during the winter, I would think, but am unsure.

I left it off for a time, and did not notice any more water coming from the opening in the ceiling

I'll bet there's cold air from the attic coming through that hole, mixing with warm air in the living areas in your house and causing condensation to build up in the smoke detector.

You should seal that hole (a) to prevent cold air from moving down, and (b) to prevent any smoky air (should you be unfortunate enough to have any) from being pulled up through it (a process known as the Stack Effect , which can reduce the effectiveness of smoke detectors.

I have had a similar problem with two different detectors In fact it was enough to set them off.

I believe it is condensation forming in the conduit and going back into the box. Try insulating the conduit to prevent that from happening.


Can I re-use a roller tray liner? I am wondering if re-using a roller tray liner is asking for trouble. The old paint was white primer; the new paint is very slightly different white. Even if I scrape out all the possible flakes and thicker chunks of old paint, I'm wondering if the new paint will loosen up the old and create a mix / mess? I'm using Benjamin Moore Natura (White Dove OC17) on top of BM Natura zero VOC interior primer White 511 00.

There is a good chance that you will be perfectly fine. I've rolled out of trays I've let paint dry in with perfectly fine results when I got lazy and it was an area I wasn't concerned about (like a shed, inside of my garage, etc...)

However, based on which paint you chose, I'd say this is more important area, so why risk it?

There is a chance that the new wet paint plus the bending, flexing, or pressure of you rolling could loosen up some more pieces/flakes.

Liners are cheap, but if you really do plan on reusing them clean them up immediately after use to make it easier.

Just flip it inside out when the other side is dried paint


What is the best technique for using a drill to insert screws? It looks so easy on the DIY programs, but I battle to insert screws using my drill. The screwdriver bit keeps slipping out, and it damages the screw head.

Is there a neat trick for this?

Should I set the drill's speed to low / high?

Short bursts or steady power?

I'm not an authority, but start with this:

Keep the bit inline with the screw's direction of penetration.  Most times I see newbies struggle with that.  If the drill/chuck is cocked in relation to the axis of the screw, it creates all kinds of trouble.
Firmly push inward, not letting the bit slip back out of the screwhead.
Bits are consumable.  They don't last forever.  Are you trying to use a bit that's too worn?  Once a bit has slipped badly even a few times, it's probably toast.
Slower, steady power is your general best bet, the only exception being when you need a BURST of torque, whereby you time your pushing/pressure effort with a burst of speed on the drill.  But that's seldom needed, and you'd still use the low range.

I do have some experience drilling screws as that's about all I use for fasteners; I don't use nails.  You don't need torque adjusters, speed dials and all that other mumbo-jumbo. I do use a magnetic bit holder if I'm one-handing it.  Before I discovered this, I used to strip heads and wreck bits, but now I use the same bit for a long time and don't think I've wrecked any screw heads since. The trick is to press hard and go slow using the variable speed and get a feel for it. I also use #2 Robertson coarse zinc plated deck screws for most building projects.


What do I do with the neutral and ground when wiring a transfer switch? I know there are a lot of questions about wiring a generator to a home electrical panel, but I can't find the answer to the questions that I have.

I would like to wire a generator that has the neutral bonded to the frame, to my main panel. The GE panel that I have has no "MAIN", It has four 240 volt breakers that are labeled "MAIN SECTION", and eight 120 volt breakers labeled "LIGHTING SECTION". One 60 amp breaker from the MAIN SECTION feeds the LIGHTING SECTION.

I have a manual two pole 60 amp transfer switch that I would like to use and wire the 60 amp MAIN SECTION breaker to the switch, then back to the LIGHTING SECTION buss.
What's confusing me is how to run the ground and neutral wires. I wanted to included a wiring diagram with this, but I can't figure out how.

Do I bond the neutral to the transfer switch with the bonding screw?
How do I run the neutral and ground from the generator to the main panel with a bonded generator?
Do I wire the generator frame to a ground bar?

There can only be one point in the system where neutral and ground wires are joined, and this is usually in the main panel.  Therefore, you must lift the bond from the generator, or disconnect the ground wire from the generator to the transfer switch.

If you lift the bond on the generator, you can run both ground and an insulated neutral back to the transfer switch.  You will also run ground and insulated neutral from the main panel to the transfer switch, and ground and insulated neutral to the subpanel from the transfer switch.  Note that neither neutral nor ground are switched in the transfer switch.  The generator can optionally be grounded to a rod.

If you cannot lift the bond, disconnect the ground wire to the transfer switch at the generator (or don't run a ground wire at all).  The subpanel will still be grounded from the unswitched ground wire from the main panel.  The generator cannot be grounded to a rod because this would tie the neutral to ground in a second location through the bond.

The transfer switch is service equipment. It disconnects and reconnects service from two sources.
   As service equipment, the neutrals (grounded conductor) must be bonded to ground ( grounding conductor).
   This serves the following purposes
1). It provides the utility company with a better neutral.
2). It provides a ground fault path. Providing for safety.
3). It makes the entire system more energy efficient.


Fluorescent light trips adjacent GFCI My fluorescent light trips an adjacent GFCI when it is switched on. It is on a separate circuit. The GFCI is new with an alarm.

Is this being caused by some sort of interference?

Likelihood 1: Since the GFCI is the new thing, it is miswired.

This usually happens when someone is replacing a plain receptacle with the GFCI, hooks up the supply wires to the two LINE screws, and finds themselves with wires left over.   Those used to go on the extra screws on the receptacle, which were for the purpose of being spares.  However, GFCIs don't have any spares, just the two LINE screws.

This is where novices typically peek under the warning tape that says "Do Not Use, for wizards only" in as many words, and they see two more screws. Voila, somewhere to attach my spare wires!   Except those aren't spares, they are the LOAD terminals intended for extending GFCI protection to other outlets.

Sometimes this mistake inadvertently leads to extending GFCI protection to other circuits, yay I guess.  Other times, this is miswired, and causes nuisance trips.

Likelihood 2: Or your light has a ground fault

Suppose you build an X Detector because X is a common failure point in your situation.  And it immediately detects X.  The detector must be bad, right?  That is exactly how people react to GFCI trips. One guy bought $75 of new GFCIs because he could not believe his $30 coffeemaker had a ground fault.

I imagine that you did not have a GFCI before.   So maybe the lamp has had a ground fault this entire time, and you just didn't know it.  You can test that by removing the ground wire temporarily, so the fixture has no ground; but beware: its chassis will be energized at 120V if it in fact has a ground fault!  Don't leave it that way, no matter how much it seems like an easy fix.

That's not a surprise with old fluorescent magnetic ballasts. I would say in your light upgrade, you "zigged when you should have zagged".  Buying expensive LEDs that absolutely depend on maintaining a ballast does not protect you from failure of the ballast. Instead I would have bought a quality electronic ballast cheaper than the LED "tubes", and just stayed with real fluorescent.   Now you have two choices:

replace the ballast  (and retain the ability to rollback to real fluorescent if those LEDs turn out to be a piece o' junk) -- consult their instructions for the type of ballast to buy; it matters.
sell those LED "tubes" on craigslist and buy direct-wire LED "tubes", and rewire the fixture to bypass the ballast and feed 120V straight to the LEDs.

Solved, lighting connected to gfci. Lighting disconnected from gfci and voila problem solved. No more tripping


How can I repair a crack in my fireplace hearth? We have just purchased a house, and upon the inspection noticed the the fireplace hearth has a crack in it.  It's a clean crack, but it goes from the front to the back, and pretty much right through the concrete.  Do I need to replace the hearth, or can I repair it?

I am not a mason, or an expert on fireplaces. (It is not a bad idea to bring in several such people to get an estimate on the repair.) However, a few things seem fairly clear.

The crack appeared because...

The hearth may have been insufficiently reinforced, thus too little rebar, metal mesh, or nothing at all.
Heat stresses, caused by heating and cooling cycles can cause cracks. A properly built hearth should have been designed to prevent that.
Insufficient foundation under the hearth, which might have allowed it to settle, thus introducing stresses.

One or more of the above factors will have caused the problem. Someone experienced in seeing these types of problems will know what caused it, and thus what is needed to repair the problem so it does not happen again.

For example, it should be obvious if there is no reinforcement at all, since the crack will let you see inside. If there was settling, then one of the pieces may now be tilted relative to the other. There may also be other cracks in the walls or foundation of the house to be found.

If you do nothing, then there are some issues to consider beyond pure aesthetics. The one that comes to mind immediately is the crack will allow infiltration of air into the house from the ground. If there is radon in that air, it could potentially cause lung cancer over a long period of time. While this is not a high probability event, it is possible, and it does happen.

Repair may be a moderately difficult thing, since you really need to eliminate the underlying problem. Simply slapping some mortar on the crack will not solve a thing, even if you bother to find some heat resistant mortar. The crack will just reappear.

Again, I'd suggest contacting a good mason who understands fireplaces and foundations.

We are currently experiencing the same issue. It was clear that the ground level of our tri-level home's floors were installed without rebar. A previous repair to the damage involved only raising the floor, by building a new level floor above the old, collapsed floor--up to, but not under the hearth. Since the chimney sits on the foundation and the hearth on the floor, they have separated and we are now faced with having to completely remove the existing hearth. We must choose between continuing the raised floor with extra reinforcement and constructing a new hearth on it, or actually pouring new floor with rebar for the space only occupied by the hearth, then constructing a new hearth upon it. We have our contractor contacting experts on what is the safest and least costly course of action. I suggest you do the same. You should also ask your inspector if he checked the chimney liner for cracks. I would also inspect that level of your home for other things you may not have noticed, such as prior repairs that hide a bigger problem. If you notice other issues, you may want to contact an engineer to assess them, especially if you have another level above the one with the fireplace.


Is there a way I can make an interior door a better sound insulator? I have an interior hollow bedroom door. The door seems to offer very little sound insulation, and I would like to add a bit more. I'm not expecting to get perfect silence or anything, but I would like to deaden down the sound some, so that way way I can listen to something in my bedroom at a reasonable level without my kids hearing it to the point that they can't sleep. I have in my mind that there might be something like an AB Foam type product that I could pour in to my door and make it a bit more sound resistant. Is there any such product? Any other suggestions to improving sound resistance in a room?

Reducing sound output from a typical bedroom can be extraordinarily difficult.  The core problem is that sound travels through the point of least resistance -- you can get a good sound block in one area, but find it makes no difference since the sound just escapes from somewhere else.

If you have a hollow core door, then that is one of your biggest sound holes as a typical hollow core door has an STC rating of only 20 or so.  That's not going to do a lot for any noise above a whisper.  But wait, even that is not a true representation of the actual sound transmission.  The problem is that rating assumes we are only talking about the door and not the air gaps around it.  If you have a hollow core door, then I'm going to assume that it's not properly gasketed.  If so, then the actual STC rating is substantially less.

Can you make that door more sound absorbent?  No, not really.  At least not in any efficient (money and time) manner.  Your best bet would be to upgrade to a solid core door.  If you have a standard door, then there is a good chance that the hinges will even line up and it'll be a straight swap for maybe $100.

Doing so will immediately jump your sound blocking to an STC rating of 25 or so.  Eh?  That doesn't sound much better than a hollow core door!  Well, that rating is taking the air gaps into account, so it's actually substantially better.

But STC 25 is still not going to be good enough to make a big enough difference in your sound transmission.  To do that, you're going to need to control the air gaps.  If you add some acoustic door gaskets, then you'll be looking at an STC rating of 35 or so.  That's actually quite good -- roughly on par with the STC rating of your wall.  People will still be able to hear what happens in the room, but it'll be notably muted.

An alternate to buying an interior solid core door and adding acoustic door gaskets is to buy an exterior door, which is already going to be solid core and will have its own seal.  That could be expensive, though, and the hinges will almost surely not line up.

You can try control noise better at its source. If that defeats the purpose you can try controlling it along its path by directing it better, reflecting it or flanking it and absorbing it. Or at the receiving end of sound you could control it with earplugs.


Why don't they make wood cutoff blades for 4.5" grinder? Many times I used a chisel to cut off a hard-to-reach piece of lumber, I was wishing I had an adequate blade for my 4.5" grinder, as I don't own an oscillating tool.  Why is it hard to find?  Is it because they would be dangerous?

They are made, they look like mini chainsaws and are commonly used for carving bowls.

A common brand for these blades is Lancelot

You can also get smaller saw blades in the 4.5" form factor. I suggest you go to a saw store or woodworking shop. Here is a product on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/KwikTool-BB450-2-Inch-1-Inch-8-Inch/dp/B000O3IOEW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1357252670&sr=8-2&keywords=angle+grinder+wood+blade

I was ready to buy a wood blade for my grinder, I sometimes see good pieces of lumber in garbage bins here in NY and often would like a cordless tool to make a quick cut just in case the piece of wood I encounter is too long to fit in my corolla and the only cordless cutting tool I have is a grinder, however after reading the posts and getting an understanding of the danger of using such a blade on a grinder, I changed my mind. I don't have a lot of experience in this field but maybe just to do a quick cut on wood left in the trash maybe the standard grinder blade will do


What problems might a single ground rod above 25 ohms resistance cause? The Electrical Code (USA) requires that a single ground rod have a maximum resistance to ground of 25 ohms (NEC 250.53(A.2)). If this isn't met, an additional ground rod is required, but no resistance test is required. Where does the value of 25 ohms come from?

From my reading of various sources on the internet, the test for ground resistance is infrequently done for residential installs. What kind of issues might I experience if my resistance to ground is above this value with a single ground rod?

This article has a seemingly informative title, but lacks actual details: Who Cares About 25 Ohms or less?

The basis for this question is that my ~30 year old house only has a single ground rod. I am willing to install a second one in lieu of an official test if there is a reasonable possibility that it will help in any way. At this point, I can't find any information that would point me to specific issues that might be solved.

Well it is the National Electrical Code that requires 25 Ohms or less. Notice the exception after #5.
Here:

250.53(A)(2) Supplemental Electrode Required. A single rod, pipe, or plate electrode shall be supplemented by an additional electrode of a type specified in 250.52(A)(2) through (A)(8). The supplemental electrode shall be permitted to be bonded to one of the following:
(1) Rod, pipe, or plate electrode
(2) Grounding electrode conductor
(3) Grounded service-entrance conductor
(4) Nonflexible grounded service raceway
(5) Any grounded service enclosure
Exception: If a single rod, pipe, or plate grounding electrode has a resistance to earth of 25 ohms or less, the supplemental electrode shall not be required.
(3) Supplemental Electrode. If multiple rod, pipe, or plate electrodes are installed to meet the requirements of this section, they shall not be less than 1.8 m (6 ft) apart.
Informational Note: The paralleling efficiency of rods is increased by spacing them twice the length of the longest rod.
(B) Electrode Spacing. Where more than one of the elec-trodes of the type specified in 250.52(A)(5) or (A)(7) are used, each electrode of one grounding system (including that used for strike termination devices) shall not be less than 1.83 m (6 ft) from any other electrode of another grounding system. Two or more grounding electrodes that are bonded together shall be considered a single grounding electrode system.

The reason contractors elect to install a second ground rod is that it is cheaper than paying for the ground resistance testing.
The advantage to a low resistance is during a lightning strike or large ground fault even a small resistance creates a large voltage differential. This could be dangerous for persons in contact with grounded parts of the system at that moment. Hence the reason for the requirement.
Otherwise, during normal operation there isn't a noticeable advantage to consumers.
For an older home you may already have a grounded metal water pipe exiting the building so you already have a supplemental electrode. If not adding an extra rod may help protect you and your valuable electronic equipment during a lightning strike or large voltage transient on the line.
Good luck!

Have a higher resistance ground would increase the amount of time for a breaker to trip.

Reference: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3vvvv5QVZoA

(After 16:55)


Bending horizontal bars of Iron fence We have a metal fence in front of the house and it has very strong iron rods both vertically and horizontally.
The issue is with the horizontal iron rod as its bend and also its vending on the other side is broken, so its sticking out on one side.
I tried to bend it with hand but its too strong and doesn't move. When I hit it with hammer I am not able to hit it from behind due to the mesh behind, ( the bend side is on the back), so if I hit it from the front the whole rod vibrates and its not helpful. See the below pics for clear details.
Any suggestions would be great, thanks

The easiest way to straighten he metal pipe is to heat it with a Mapp gas torch. Apply the flame to the crimped pipe end until it begins to glow orange.
Slowly and steadily push the free end back into position. You may have to push the pipe past it's final position so as to compensate for it springing back slighly.

Use wood blocks and C-clamps to straighten the bar.
The rough sketch hopefully illustrates what I mean.
C-clamps are not shown in drawing.

C-clamp


Can paint/hardware stores match stain like they do paint? I know you can take a color sample to a paint store (or some hardware stores) and get them to match it and mix you up a custom batch.

Is a similar service provided anywhere for stain?  The color charts from the stain manufacturers sometimes help, but often don't have an exact match for what I am looking for.

I know that stain is somewhat of an inexact science, and I'd probably need to provide an unstained sample piece of wood for the type I intend to use it on, but it sounds at least marginally possible to get custom stains based on a color sample you are trying to match. Am I asking for the moon, or is there some source that provides a service like this?

I would buy something close and tint it yourself.  You can run sample swatches on scraps of your unfinished lumber and stop when you get it right.  This will also allow you to experiment with different techniques to see which is the best match, e.g. how long to let the stain soak in before wiping it off.

See http://www.ehow.com/way_5938323_can-add-tint-wood-stain_.html

If it's Exterior concrete stain and you expect me to match one area that was stained years or even months ago, it's unlikely. And if you don't have the original stain, or swatch or color code...no way. Even if you do, have the exact color code, or even the stain itself, the newly applied stain, will in fact be obviously fresh...


Do you really *have* to mortise for hinges and other door hardware? I am wondering if it's entirely necessary to mortise a door and jamb for hinges and other miscellaneous door hardware.  The only thing I can think of is that, in addition to being screwed in, the mortising increases integrity by locking the hinge in place provided that the fit is tight.  Outside of that, it looks like it comes down to aesthetics and just looks nicer.

Well, let's take hinges for example. They typically have plates 3 or more millimeters thick and with two such plates it means you need a 6 millimeters gap between the door and the frame to accomodate the hinges. Do you really want a 6 millimeters gap? It will conduct noise, let unwanted cold/hot air through the door, it'll be very easy to put a crowbar and break the door open.

If you don't care of having a huge gap - no problem, you can install hinges without making mortises for them.

Most doors now are hollow core which takes away from the integrity of the door to recess the hinge. Even millimeters of wood make a difference over time, so I don’t recess and use a bigger screw. Recessing the hinges are for old school solid core doors for the purpose of barring the weight of the door. The door trim installed covers and gap and prevents weather from entering. If a thief wants in your house he’s getting in no matter the hinges. It also gives more room for the swelling and shrinking of the door because its wood and will do so. In my opinion it is completely unnecessary and weakens the design of the hollow core door. Now on solid core it’s absolutely necessary and needs to fit tightly to be beneficial.


Can I tie into a 12 gauge 20 amp line with 14/2 NM-B to run a light? My refrigerator line is 20 amp with 12 gauge wire. Can I tap into that with 14/2 wire, and run a light switch and 1 LED light?

You must use 12/2 to extend a 20amp circuit.   -Or- the breaker can be downgraded to 15amp if the circuit contains 14.   (If downgrading the circuit, you should also tag the wire in the panel "circuit contains 14 gauge wire" to eliminate confusion in the future.)

What you're missing:. Under normal circumstances that segment of the circuit would normally carry little watts/amps as you point out.  However in the event of a fixture fault, or even defective bulb in that fixture causing a direct short, the wire would overheat and catch fire, because it's 15 amp wire carrying a dead short.

You could put an inline fuse that's < 16A in the junction box to protect the 14 AWG wire from overload. 14AWG is not meant to carry more than around 15 Amps unless it's in the open air to allow cooling.

edit: It's only for safety. In case someone still wants to do it improperly and use 14 AWG wire on a 20A circuit. Of course it's not the proper way to do it, but it could be the only way to save a ton of money without compromising safety if the 14 AWG wire is already installed.


What would cause my filtered water to have a thin transparent film suspended in it? I have a filtered water dispenser in my Whirlpool refrigerator door.  Lately I've noticed when dispensing water into a clean glass, that there are patches of a thin transparent film suspended in the water.  The filter cartridge is about 3-4 months old.

I suspect that I'm seeing a thin layer of mold, slime, or other growth peeling off from somewhere within the refrigerator's water line.

I'm looking for guidance on what this film is, and how to deal with it.  The filters are rather expensive and I'd rather not drop a new one into the refrigerator if that's not likely to eliminate the problem.

Are you on a city water system, or a well?  Do you get the film from your tap?  If not, then it's something in the water line to the fridge, or in the filter.  In my whirlpool fridge, the "reservoir" for the chilled water is simply a coiled up roll of the plastic tubing.  Clean out the fridge, and take a look at that to see if you can see any obvious discoloration or contamination - it should be clear.  You could try replacing the tubing if you're suspicious.

If there nothing else obvious, then I'd try changing the filter, and run water through the new filter for a bit to clean everything out of the lines.  The filter, after all, is designed to collect gunk from the water, and if it's been a while, it could simply be full.

I found the answer in a different thread on a different forum, as I had the same problem.

This thin film is bacteria, due to your water filter de-chlorinating the water.


How do I paint over unpaintable silicone? So I stupidly used unpaintable silicone to seal my bedroom window... On the inside. How can I paint over this unpaintable silicone? (GE brand).

Paint over it (or to either side) and ignore the strip where the paint won't stick.

Pull it out and re-caulk with something paintable.

Try to smear paintable silicone over the top of it and hope that sticks to the stuff you have. Hard to do neatly, pulling it out and redoing is more likely to succeed, IMHO.

You could try sanding it with 1000 or 1500 very fine grit. The paint will then probably 'take hold'


How do I stop a dimmer switch from humming? I installed a dimmer switch in my washroom and it's making a buzzing noise. The more I increase resistance/rotate the dimmer clockwise, the louder it gets.

The humming seems to be coming from the common wire, not from the light fixture, live wire or from the mechanism within the dimmer itself.

The dimmer switch is advertised to hold up to 600w and I'm currently using 340w.

I tried to remove some of the lights and the noise persists.

The one thing I did notice is that the common wire isn't exposed or attached at the end, a section of the wire has been stripped at that's what the original switch was attached to.

How can I lessen or completely rid myself of this humming noise?

Edit: I've since replaced my Leviton rotary dimmer with a high end Lutron sliding dimmer and the problem still persists, at the same loud volume.

All dimmers buzz a little bit.  They "chop up" the AC waveform, which creates mechanical vibration (buzzing) and electrical noise (EMI).  Usually they are the most quiet when the lights are fully bright, and get louder as you dim the bulbs.  Here is a good page that describes what is happening.  A different dimmer may be quieter, although Leviton does make solid products.

I suspect, however, that you may be using the "new" CFL (compact-fluorescent) bulbs?  They're the ones with the twisted white glass tube.  The electronics in most of these bulbs interact poorly with the dimmers and can cause a lot of noise problems, both audible and electrical.

Now that it has become difficult to find incandescent bulbs (at least here in the USA), a lot of people are having to choose between paying substantially more money for "dimmable" CFL bulbs, or simply replacing their dimmers with simple on/off switches.

Good luck :)

If you read on the package you took a picture of it states incandescent you will get a humming with cfls, or any fluorescent bulbs for that matter due to the igniter that excites the gas inside which produces the light. Incandescent bulbs use filaments which are small pieces of wire that are made to light up when "shorted".
Hence the reason for the humming.

-Cjwntaw


How can I treat brick efflorescence? I have a new brick wall but large areas are becoming covered in white salty deposits; I want these removed - how can I do it?

Update

Thanks Niall. Just out of interest, can acid do damage to bricks? These are rustic, textured and quite expensive bricks.

Dilute white malt vinegar (a 50/50 solution) will remove it; apply it with a nylon brush dipped in the solution and scrub gently.  If you're outdoors, you could rinse the wall down afterwards with water.  If not, scrub it again using plain water.

The vinegar reacts with the lime leaching out of the bricks (which is causing the efflorescence) to form a different salt of calcium which (a) isn't visible and (b) is water soluble, so rinsing or scrubbing the second time should get rid of it.

I used a $50 wet/dry shop Vac vacuum cleaner. It sucked everything. very clean job.


Is it safe to replace Type A plug with Type C? I'm really sorry if I'm asking a silly question or the Home Improvement is a wrong place for that but it's better safe than sorry.

I'm going to buy a couple of electronic devices from Amazon, which was made for US market only (charging station for game console accessories to be more precise). Since I live in Russia the apparent problem is what this devices' "native" plug will not fit sockets in my apartment. I'm not any experienced in such kind of situation so I tried to google to learn if this issue can be addressed at all. Many forums suggest that I can just replace original plugs or buy a plug adapter, but these devices are not cheap and I don't want to kill them and waste extra money. Both devices have Type-A plug which looks as follows:

plug one

plug two

You need to learn to tell the difference between a plain plug and a power supply with a built-in plug (known as a wall-wart).

There are several giveaways that indicate something is a wall-wart and not a regular plug.

Wall warts are typically much larger than regular plugs.
The output cable of of a wall-wart will typically be thinner and more lightly insulated than a mains cable.
The output connectors of a wall-wart will typically be of types that are only safe for use at low voltages.
A wall-wart will typically have a label indicating input voltage range, output voltage, power requirements and safety approvals.

Not every wall wart will have all these indications, but most will have at least one of them.

Both of the items in your pictures are wall-warts, if you remove a wall-wart and replace it with a regular plug you will almost certainly destroy the equipment and create a serious electric shock hazard.

Russia apparently uses 220V, which is similar to most of Europe (the EU is nominally 230V but with a pretty wide tolerance band) and much higher than used in the USA. Before connecting a device with a US plug to Russian mains you need to check it is suitable for the higher voltage.

Some devices, especially older ones, may need to be reconfigured for different voltages either by moving a switch, turning an insert, moving fuses inside the device or a variety of other mechanisms. This is unlikely to be the case with wall-warts though.

The label on your wall-warts should indicate the acceptable range of input voltages, most but not all modern wall-warts will be designed with a wide input voltage range (e.g. 100-240V) that covers essentially all mains voltages in the world. If your wall-warts have a suitable input voltage range you can use them with a plug adapter, otherwise you will need to source replacement power supplies.

Unfortunately sourcing replacement power supplies can be a pain. There are a wide variety of combinations of voltage, current, output connector and sometimes even output polarity out there.

More important is the voltage you have in your outlets. I am unfamiliar with Russian power distribution but assuming it is like most other countries outside of North America, it is likely 230V (nominal) line to neutral. The devices that you show are for connecting to 120V systems in North America. So unless you buy an adaptor, you might fry your power supplies the first time you plug them in. It would likely be less expensive for you to search for 230V versions of your devices, they will likely have the right plugs as well.


Constant humming noise in house I'm looking for ideas on what might cause the very deep hum I hear in my house when it's quiet. It's been present 24/7 for many years. When I'm alone in the house and nothing is turned on it's actually loud enough to be annoying, but it's not loud enough to record on my phone.

I live in a semi-rural residential neighborhood with no industry within miles. I can turn off my main breaker and the noise still present, so I assume it's not coming from inside my house. I'm 2 to 3 miles from an Interstate highway. Most of the time when I'm outside I cannot hear road noise from the highway. We have county water but no natural gas or sewer. It's slightly louder in my basement. It's not louder near where the water pipe enters the house.

It could be the transformer for your house. Do you know where it is?  On a pole?  In a box on the ground?  The noise should be distinctly louder as you get closer.

Some possible items that can produce sounds are; transformers for a door bell or furnace, the ballast in a florescent light that is on, a computer and even some TV's. You could turn off the main circuit breaker for the house and if the sound goes away, then it is being produced by some electrical device. If it is an electrical item, then start by turning off each circuit breaker 1 at a time until you find the one that controls the sound.


How many outlets can you have on one 15 amp circuit? In my rebuilding project I have counted 18 outlets and lights on one bedroom circuit that travels through 3 rooms. Is that ok?

Yes.

Also, check your breaker. You can have as many outlets on a single circuit as you like*, but you have to be careful because you can only pull so much current from the circuit at a time. For example, don't expect to run an electric chainsaw and a vacuum at the same time off a single 15A circuit. If you have a 15A breaker attached which is likely the case, I would recommend not running any major appliances (Such as a Microwave or Window AC unit) off of it, since that will take up most of your juice, and one too many lamps in the other 17 outlets could trip your breaker. If you need to run a heavy appliance, just wire in another circuit, and don't drill a hole through the wires near the breaker box (Voice of experience).

*Some areas such as Belgium limit you to 8 outlets on a circuit, or you violate wiring code.

I would look at the out lets 2 per wall if a big house keeping lighting separate.. if your talking kitchen... consider this microwaves are rated for 1000watts of power, (volts X amps = watts) 120volt service microwave will consume 9 amps, don't forget the electronics that it takes to run... now  microwave working refrigerator starting, you possible can pop a 15 amp circuit.


Could bad grounding cause sparks and fire when connecting the cable box and TV? I just moved into a home built in 1955. During inspection, it was noted that none of the outlets were grounded even though they had three prong outlets installed.

Per our agreement, the owner supposedly grounded all the sockets using a licensed electrician. During our final walk through, the owner's general handy man told us he rewired everything. I unfortunately didn't think anything of it.

Come to move in day. The cable installer shows up. When plugging the HDMI cable into the TV, the cable box sparks and catches fire and the TV is dead. Scorched and melted HDMI ports on both end.

The cable installer assumes a bad box, gives me a new box. We try again with new everything (cable box, power cords, HDMI cable, TV). This time we notice the HDMI sparks like mad when making contact with the HDMI port in the TV. Luckily we were wary this time and didn't actually plug the cable in.

At this point I'm suspecting the "unhandy" man botched the grounding on the outlets. I'm getting an electrician out here Monday to take a look. Right now I'm avoiding plugging anything in with a three prong power cord.

Any thoughts? Does my hypothesis sound correct?

Links to pictures. http://imgur.com/a/8sjx1

Suspicions confirmed. The guy didn't even cheat. He hooked the hot wire to the ground, he should of at least used the neutral cable to boot leg it.

This is a very suspicious situation.

Adding a proper ground to every receptacle in the house is no small feat, it's weird that the handyman just casually mentioned that he did it. I believe the only correct way to do it would be to run a new ground wire of the proper size back to the service panel where it can be connected to the grounding rods.

Perhaps the handy man just used pigtails to ground to the box, as @SpeedyPetey says. Or maybe he connected the ground to the neutral, which would be good enough to fool an outlet tester. Or maybe he accidentally connected the ground to the hot side, which might explain your sparks. (Many appliances have their metal housing connected to ground. If the exterior of one of your appliances was actually electrified that would explain the sparks.)

If you have a simple outlet tester you could start with that, but it will not detect all faulty conditions like a ground / neutral swap or connection. You could also shut the power off and pull one of the receptacles off the wall, to see if you can tell what kind of grounding, if any, is actually there.

I suspect you will want to get an electrician and your real estate agent involved.

Are simple voltmeter will answer the question.  At the outlet the TV is plugged into measure across the two prong holes, and then from each to the ground prong hole. There should be 120V from the narrow prong hole to the other two, and 0V from the wide prong socket to the ground hole. Any deviation from that indicates a problem with the AC wiring.  If that appears OK then, and be very careful doing this, measure from the wide prong to a ground, such as the shield of the coax that should be grounded to Earth ground.  If there is more than trace voltage between them then the coax may not be properly grounded.

Did you have the house inspected by a certified inspector?  Everyone I have used in the past few years has tested every outlet.  If you did have it inspected and they did not do that, then you may have a case against them.


What adhesive or glue should I use to attach velcro to PVC pipe? I have some vertical standing pvc pipes that I want to attach velcro to.  I wish to hang some fabric from the velcro, and thus there will be some forces pulling the velcro from the pvc.  I've already tried using 3M Rubber & Vinyl Spray Adhesive, and it worked for a while, but has since fallen off.

Can you suggest a better way to attach the Velcro and PVC?

I don't have an adhesive suggestion for you, but you could use hose clamps. Put one on the top and one on the bottom of a rectangular section of velcro and clamp it onto the pipe. (Make sure to not over-tighten it.)

Actually, if you could work up a way to attach the fabric to the hose clamps and skip the velcro altogether, that would cut your hose clamp needs by half. They'd be around a buck at the hardware store.

System 3 T-88 epoxy, roughen up the pvc pipe first, and let it cure for24hours


Need help choosing wire for a detached garage I am in need of some help choosing the correct wire for my detached garage.

My plan is to create a run from my main panel in my basement to the detached garage.

The total length of the run is about 80 feet.

I would like to have 2 - 15 amp circuits and 2 - 20 amp circuits in the garage.
My thought is to use a 70 amp breaker in my box in the basement and 70 amp main in the detached garage.  If this is wrong please let me know.

My preference would be to use UF-B direct burial wire if possible.

Links to specific wire and/or breakers/sub-panels would be greatly appreciated.

Conduit is your friend

Conduit is cheap, trenching is expensive, and putting fat conduit in now can save you more trenching later if your wires prove too small, as well as shielding the wire from mild cases of excavation damage which'd otherwise force you to dig up the cable and replace it.  So, I'd put fat (2"+) schedule 80 PVC in the ground now, using prefab wide radius sweeps for the horizontal to vertical transitions.

Fat aluminum is also your friend

All the bad things that you may have heard about aluminum building-wire do not apply to what you are doing right now.  The terminations you're working with (pressure setscrew lugs) are much better at handling aluminum wire than the wrap-type terminal screws or backstabs on receptacles and switches, the aluminum wire that you buy now is made from a different alloy with better properties for building wiring than the aluminum wire that gave aluminum its bad rap, and the busbars and lugs themselves on your breakers and panels are likely made from plated aluminum, too.

So, that said, I'd use 2AWG, wet-location-rated (THWN or XHHW-2) aluminum wire for both hots and the neutral with an 8AWG or 6AWG (8AWG works, 6AWG might be more useful for grounding electrode conductors though) bare copper ground wire.  That will give you 70A at the garage without coming close to filling a 2" conduit.

Big (slots-wise) subpanels are your friend, too

Furthermore, you'll need a subpanel at the garage for this, and again, it's penny-wise and pound-foolish to skimp now due to the labor costs of redoing things down the road.  I'd at a bare minimum put a small 20 or 24 slot, 100A panel in as the garage subpanel -- if you can afford something with more slots in it, do so, as often you can get kits with the panel, a main breaker, and some 15 and 20A branch breakers.  Don't worry about the ampacity of the main breaker in the subpanel, by the way, as it's only serving as a disconnect -- the 70A feeder breaker in the main panel provides the overcurrent protection.

Last but not least

You'll want to use an inch-pound torque wrench or torque screwdriver (depending on the specified torque) to torque all the breaker and panel lugs to specification when doing this -- the 2017 NEC actually requires the use of calibrated torque tools in 110.14(D), and it's a good idea in any case to make a reliable connection, especially on aluminum wires.

Check out this post from a few years ago.

Rewiring Garage, building grounds

I ran overhead SEC cable to a sub panel. I had a professional run the SEC cable because I didn't want anyone asking questions about permits if it looked weird. From there it's pretty straight forward. Note that regardless of how you do it, if you cannot pigtail your grounds to your neutral.  You must either run a dedicated ground (SER cable) or give your garage a dedicated grounding rod and a separate bus in the sub panel for the grounds.  I did the latter.


Can an inspector require a specific grounding technique? I had been taking classes to become an electrician at one of the bigger community colleges in my area (specifically LBCC) and my brother had been doing some renovation on his own home and asked me to help out so I wired up the boxes and switches and receptacles and while we grounded the switches and receptacles we forgot to ground the metal boxes them selves and the inspection failed but my brother tells me that the inspector said we're not allowed to pigtail the grounds between the boxes and devices that we have to use a long ground wire loop it around the boxes ground screw then run it up to the ground screw on the device ... can he do that? this runs counter to what I was taught which is to pigtail the wires to the devices and ground screws

If you are taking training this can be found in the NEC section 90.4 "Enforcement" the second sentence states he is the legal jurisdiction having authority for the enforcement of the code and he has the responsibility for making interpretations of the rules, ...

So in answer to your question yes.

The only thing you could do is to appeal it to his employer (the city council or whomever) or try and reason with him. Personally I wouldn't try and tick him off.

A wirenut/clamp is a continuous connection. Crimpclamp a ground connection in there and you're good to go. I do agree with your inspector - pigtails are worthless except in commercial work where you may run into alot of BX/MC cabling.

One thing you should learn in contracting - always know where to find it in the book. That trumps all inspector's opinions. You can politely point out discrepencies with your inspector, and earn respect.


Why is plywood with tongue and groove preferred for flooring? I'm just curious - in reading more about subflooring I see that a lot of sources are saying to use plywood with tongue and groove.  Why? What is the benefit of tongue and groove plywood as opposed to plywood (of the same thickness) with flat edges? Does the interlock help the subfloor be more stable? Does it protect against leaks?

The way we lay flooring is to use subfloor adhesive and lay a bead down the whole length of the groove. You wedge it together till the gap totally closes. Doing this in addition to using tongue and groove plywood/OSB accomplishes two things:

You have an airtight floor membrane. This gets rid of heat loss and also the intrusion of moist damp air possibly mold contaminated from the crawl space.
You have a much stronger floor that is seamless which can carry more weight and not have bounce because the edge is supported by and locked into the adjoining sheet.

Why you shouldn't use standard plywood -> if you just butt plywood up to create the subfloor, you get this neat sawing action from the unsupported edges that slowly fills the crawlspace with sawdust as the wood eats away at itself, causing the seams to open up. It also groans nicely if you have the right amount of frictional contact and leaves you with a spongy floor because there is no support from the mating plywood sheet along the length of the seam to prevent differential motion between the two sheets.

Well let me say this...

Plywood of the same thickness is the same.  As far as the grove tongue and grove, you are to leave a 8th inch gap between the sheets, this is done with a 8d nail. now if your going to insulate the floor, then there won't be a problem...  The problem is this, companies have to many people fooled in to following what ever they say, that is way tongue and grove cost so much more.  look at the walls of a house built now a days, that sheathing is NOT tongue and grove 99% of the time, so they tape and cover with a layer of something, or use the new water proofing sheathing...


Is there an NEC-compliant method of repairing minor damage to electrical wire insulation without a junction box? While trying to pry loose a stubborn cable staple that fastens a 14-gauge electrical cable to a stud, I accidentally tore a very small hole through both the outer jacket and the insulation around the neutral wire, exposing the bare conductor inside.  The damage is located halfway between the electrical box and the 5/8" hole in the frame's bottom plate where the wire disappears to beneath the floor somewhere.  The hole is but a mere dot measuring at about 1/32" in diameter.

Is it okay to repair this tear with electrical tape?  The copper wire itself was not damaged.  I am hoping someone isn't going to tell me that NEC requires me to repair the damaged section by replacing it with a new wire and installing a junction box or something.

Update: Right now, it's between shirlock homes and SteveR for the answer.  SteveR brought an excellent option to my attention, and that is to expose the junction box on the other side of the wall since, in my case, it happens to be a closet.  shirlock homes recommends wrapping the damaged neutral wire with insulating tape then taping up the jacket.  I like this idea, but if it's not NEC compliant then I think SteveR will get the answer.

You can repair anyway you want, but for it to be repaired and the UL still good, you have to use something like 3M 2234 Cable repair kit.

Here's some info on it

If it is romex you are best to cut the bad part out and use a junction box (or 2) to put in the good piece.  If it is in the wall then you might have to change out the whole run.  With ARC Fault breakers (AFCI) slowly becoming code in more than just bedrooms it could create a problem.

3M makes a splice for UF cable which should work for all NM cable. Assembly UF-1 works for 14 - 10 gauge wire and produces a water tight direct burial splice. I would install this and keep the data sheet handy in case the inspector questions it. The splice is UL.  https://www.gordonelectricsupply.com/p/3M-Uf1-Uf-Splice-Kit-Hazardous-Material-Request-Data-Sheet/39734


14ga wire with 12ga wire House built in the 1940s.  When remodeling a bathroom, I put a 20A circuit in the panel and ran new 12/2 wire up to the bath to GFCI outlets. I continued the circuit up into the attic to power an attic bathroom exhaust fan.

In the attic there is a rickety old pull-chain light fixture attached to the original 1940s wiring, which has two conductors but no ground.  A prior owner of the house attached 14/2 wiring to this old 1940s wiring, and had simply tied the ground wire of the 14/2 to the junction box.

I would like to detach the 14/2 from the ungrounded old wiring and attach it to the new 20A 12/2 wire in the attic.

All the receptacles on the 14/2 are 15A.

Does mating 14/2 to 12/2 present any safety hazards if nobody tries to draw more than 15A on the "extended" 14ga leg of the circuit?

You cannot do what you propose. You are good by running a 20A circuit for a bathroom receptacle circuit, it is required. By adding #14 to the circuit would mandate that you downgrade the breaker to 15A which would not be code compliant.

Your best bet is to run a new #14 circuit to re-feed this non-grounding circuit.

If all you are doing is changing the wire to a larger gauge, you are fine.  By changing the breaker to 20A from 15A, without changing the outlets, you would be in code violation.  I would wonder what on Earth you are running in the bathroom that requires more than 15 amps!  NEC code for a bathroom in a residence is 15A.  I would recommend using a 15A breaker to avoid liability should anything fail and end up being the cause of the house fire.  Insurance doesn't pay for out of code installation.


Integrating into knob-and-tube wiring: okay to borrow a ground I have a mixture of knob-and-tube and NM-B.
If I'm extending from knob and tube, but I have a (different) an NM-B circuit nearby, is it technically allowable to ground via ground wire in the other cable?
If not, what is the right way to do it?  (Please don't tell me to replace all the knob and tube -- it's not going to happen.)

Not to be snarky, but, if you mess up plumbing you get wet and stinky. If you mess up electricity, you get burned or dead. Is it really worth the risk?

As you touch the old unsafe and code fail stuff, replace it. No need to do everything at once.


Replacing fascia board: what kind of contractor? I was cleaning my gutters yesterday and I noted that the fascia board is coming apart.

I don't have the time or skills to do it myself.  What kind of contractor would be best to hire?  The ones I can think of are a roofing outfit, a gutter outfit, and a handyman.

I would actually recommend a handyman first.  There are gutters, carpentry, and painting involved and handyman should be adept at the disassembly required, the carpentry, and painting required.

A siding contractor might work as well, but they probably would not paint and may not want to mess with the gutter.

A gutter company would be my last choice as I suspect most would not consider such a repair in their scope.

I would NOT recommend a roofer due to the carpentry and painting.

Most roofing contractors are licensed to perform roofing related carpentry, find a reputable and reliable one from personal references rather than advertisements and explain what you need. He/she will tell you whether or not they are capable.


How to remove plastic anchor from brick? I was putting these plastic anchors into brick to mount a TV, but didn't drill the first hole deep enough! I've tried screwing in the screw a little and pulling it out that way, but it won't budge. What's the best way to remove this? At this point I don't think it's salvageable so it doesn't matter if it's destroyed.

Pulling it out with long nose pliers is one option, but it often comes out in pieces if you do that.

If you want to pull it out with a screw, you need to engage the screw enough to grip the plastic, but not enough to make it expand. This position may not exist, or if may be further out than you think. Sometimes a screw engaged just 2-3 turns will give you something to get a grip on with pliers or a claw hammer (not under the screw head but near the tip). A very slightly undersized screw can help with some fixings.

Drilling it out completely is tricky. Once it breaks into pieces they tend to go round in the hole rather than drill.

It looks to me, from the fact that there's still some sticking out but it won't pull out, that the hole is too tight (drill too small). The universal plastic fittings often call for different hole sizes for different materials.

Just drill the damn thing out, I do it all the time removing old ones flush or not! Oh use same bit you drilled the hole with!


Ist it possible to fix aluminum tubing in a freezer? I own an upright freezer where I tried to drill a hole into the side wall. Unfortunately I hit one of the aluminium tubes that sit on the outside close to the metal frame of the freezer. Is there a way to fix it through welding or can I maybe put some plastic tubing in between and clamp it down?

You've already let out the magic smoke (refrigerant). It's not enough to just fix the tubing, you have to replace the refrigerant.

This isn't something you can do yourself. You'll have to call a refrigerator repair service that is qualified to work with refrigerant.

Note that the cost of repair may exceed the replacement cost of the freezer.

Cut that pipe using pipe cuter wer it is broken,then goto your nearest car spare parts and ask for quick clear glue then find a short peac of a pipe with a big hole than the 1 that is damaged even if  it is a copper pipe, use that peac to joing your aluminiam pipe using quick clear


Pump control panel (electrical diagram attached). Could someone tell which ones of 1 2 3 4 5 6 are hots and which one are neutral? Pump control panel (electrical diagram attached). Could someone tell which ones of 1 2 3 4 5 6 are hots and which one are neutral?

http://www.docdroid.net/zjph/wd-s115.pdf.html

They're all "hot". You're dealing with switches, so there's no "neutral".  You have an ungrounded (hot) conductor leading to the switch, and an ungrounded (hot) conductor coming back from the switch.

The switches are simply a way to open the circuit, so it doesn't usually matter which way they're installed.  When the switch is open, the circuit is open. When the switch is closed, the circuit is closed.

The grounded (neutral) doesn't come in until after the load.

As per the ladder diagram included in the document, the odd terminals (1, 3, 5) are hot, and the even terminals (2, 4, 6) are neutral, more or less -- LS1 and LS2 are in series, though, so that's not totally true.  (Also, the assumption in the diagram is that you are using big, clunkin' mechanical limit switches, which obviously don't care which way around you wire them.)


What is this and can it be used to stop the flow of water? I have a leaky spigot that I am trying to fix.

I followed the water line back and found this.

Does anyone know what it is? Can it be used to stop the flow of water?

Having replaced a couple of those before in my own home, I am virtually 100% certain it is a pressure regulating valve. You can tell from the bell housing on top that it is what I say it is. See that all the examples I've shown below show the same bell housing, with a bolt on the top, and even a metal tag hanging off that bolt.

While the bolt can be turned with a wrench to adjust the pressure in your house, this is not a water shut-off valve, nor would I try to use it for that purpose.

Note that the valve has seen some time since installation and trying to completely turn off the water using it, EVEN IF YOU COULD DO SO, will very possibly cause it to completely fail to do its job properly in the future, thereby causing yet a different plumbing problem to solve later.

I'm not 100% certain, but I believe that is a backflow preventer valve. It cannot be used to shut off your water, and it could even be a violation to tamper with it.


un-installing a microwave that does not have any visible top cabinet attachment I want to uninstall a Hotpoint model RVM1335 over-the-range microwave.  I thought I'd take it easy; so, I purchased installation and cart-away.  When the Home Depot delivered the replacement, they didn't know how to uninstall the old microwave; so now, the new one sits on my living room floor.

I found the installation instructions online for the existing oven. There is a paragraph on uninstalling it; but, they assume that the microwave was attached to both the back wall and the upper cabinet [like most.]

There are no [visible] screws or bolts either to the upper cabinet or to the cabinets on each side; only a hole for the power cord.  I "inherited" this in a home purchase; so, there's no one to ask.

Has anybody seen this before?

I helped a friend solve this very mysterious situation recently. Although every range hood microwave I'd ever seen or installed had screws run through the shelf above, this one had screws from the side, through the faceframe of the adjacent cabinets. The screws were covered with plastic caps set flush with the rails, so they were nearly invisible. I don't recall whether it was 2 or 4 screws in total.

Also look underneath any hinge leaves in that location.

Using the make, model and serial numbers found on the existing microwave oven, search the internet for a copy of the old oven's installation manual.

Reverse the prescribed installation method to remove the microwave oven.


Does Pex tubing have any advantages over copper? What are the advantages/disadvantages of Pex tubing? How does it compare to copper?

From Pex Information:

Flexible PEX tube is manufactured by extrusion, and shipped and stored on spools, where rigid plastic or metal piping must be cut to some practical length for shipping and storage. This leads to several advantages, including lower shipping and handling costs due to decreased weight and improved storage options.
PEX plumbing installations require fewer fittings than rigid piping. The flexible tubing can turn 90 degree corners without the need for elbow fittings, and PEX tubing unrolled from spools can be installed in long runs without the need for coupling fittings.
Attaching PEX tube to fittings does not require soldering, and so eliminates the health hazards involved with lead-based solder and acid fluxes; PEX is also safer to install since a torch is not needed to make connections..
PEX resists the scale build-up common with copper pipe, and does not pit or corrode when exposed to acidic water.
PEX is much more resistant to freeze-breakage than copper or rigid plastic pipe.
PEX tubing does not transfer heat as readily as copper, and so conserves energy.
Water flows more quietly through PEX tube, and the characteristic "water hammer" noise of copper pipe systems is virtually eliminated.
PEX plumbing installations cost less because:

PEX is less expensive than copper pipe.
Less time is spent running pipe and installing fittings than with rigid pipe systems.
Installing fewer fittings reduces the chances for expensive callbacks.

If you are only going to be doing a little bit of work, check with your local rental stores, you may be able to rent the tool for a decent price.

Copper piping has been around for at least 60 years and the only time you get pinholes in copper is because you probably used the wrong thickness of copper. If a solder joint is properly soldered then it will never leak. Ive been working on domestic hot water systems of every size for over 40 years and have never had any build up of any kind on the inside of the piping. That usually only happens on the larger street mains because the water moves slowly compared to a house. Copper has withstood the test for over 60 years. Pex can not make any such claims. It may be cheaper but it it may cost you in the long run. I would take copper over pex anytime UNLESS there is a good chance the pipes could freeze. I know pex can stretch much wider then copper and return to normal size.


Why does one switch only work when another is on? I'm trying to wire up a living room light on a new switch. Prior owners ran wire from panel to outside lights first then back inside to the electrical box that contains the single pole switch. So I have tried to connect the neutral only to the new switch and tap into the hot wire from my outside switch. Doing this makes the new switch only work when my outside lights are on. Do I need a different switch? or is there anything else I can do?

If your original wiring schematic is correct black and white on the switch this is a switch loop, or switch leg!
the power goes to the fixture. Then the hot comes back to the switch on the white it is not a neutral.
at this point do not connect all whites together as someone said. The white “always hot” should be marked as a hot the black complete’s the circuit to the outside light. The switch turns on and off this connection!
New wiring would need to be run the new light. You cannot tap a switch leg to provide power for another device!
Be careful accepting assistance on the internet because there are a lot of people that don’t have a clue I hope you have not damaged things wiring etc.
This is a prime example of internet only electricians in a circle !

Remember that the power comes in through the black wire into the circuit and the neutral returns the power to the source. The switch is just there to interrupt the circuit or complete it. In the illustration, the switch on the left does not complete the circuit; creating a neutral fault.
FIX:
Step1: Looking at the diagram, connect all the white wires together using a wire-nut.
Step 2: Using a wire-nut and two separate black wires, split your (Black) power wire to connect to each switch (on only one black wire, to one screw, per switch). The black wire that comes from each lamp's circuit will have to be connected to either remaining screws (one wire, to one screw, per switch).


What hard material is behind the plaster on interior walls in my 1920s apartment? I moved into an old (c. 1920s) rental apartment building in the northeastern US (Philadelphia) and would like to hang pictures and secure some furniture.

I tried putting nails in several places around the house, on internal and shared walls, but the nails only go about 0.5" deep into the plaster (I cannot find any studs). There seems to be a hard surface behind that spot. I had no such issues with external walls.

What material is most likely to be found around 0.5" into the wall?

If the wall has studs they could be yellow pine which "turns to stone" when the wood dries. Try to drill very small pilot holes to see if is wood or something else.

Use a beating-drill with a 'widiam' tip, a regular metal/wood and regular (not beating) drill tip won't be effective in concrete or bricks walls.

Then, instead of nail, put fisher wall plugs with appropriate hook. For a light stuff 4mm or ensuring stuff to the wall is enough,  if you have to put up something heavier (like a big mirror), 5 or 6mm will be better.

I don't know if there in US have mm-sized fisher, but you can easily convert to nearest US-measure. 5mm is about 1/5 inch. For 'general purpose' suggest to buy some 5mm taps that is not too big for a picture and is strong enough to hold a heavy mirror.

If you want to figure out if it's a drywall or a brick one joust knock it, if it 'sounds empty' it's a drywall.


How can I clean windows and gutters from a ladder in a narrow side yard? I want to clean out my 2nd story gutters and wash windows, but my side yard is about 5 feet between house and fence.  Considering the overhang, there's probably 4 feet of horizontal I'd prefer not to get on the roof, since it's a steep pitch.
Gutters are at 19'.  Fence to brick is 4'4".
What options do I have to securely access the gutters?  I currently do not have a ladder that tall, so I am starting from scratch when it comes to the configuration.

Talk with your neighbor to see if you can place your long ladder onto their property for the cleaning. Hopefully the ladder would just touch the top of the fence. At the bottom you may need plywood pads and even a rope tie from the bottom rung to the fence using a screw eye.

Don't use a ladder. Get up on the roof at a more comfortable and safe location, and clean the gutters from above. Big Blue and Big Orange both sell fall protection kits for roof work for $99.


Central air compressor fan reflects sunlight into house. What can I do about it? I have a new construction and for whatever reason the HVAC installers placed the compressor right in front of a bedroom window.  I don't have any complaints about the noise (it is actually pretty quiet).  Unfortunately, the fan blades reflect sunlight and it produces this annoying strobing effect within the room.

My builder was thinking about spray painting a black matte on the blade, but I'm wondering if there is something more "professional" that they can do to reduce or eliminate the reflection.

------------Edit -----------

Another idea which may be applicable , and avoid performing a paint , is using a piece of 3M membrane like this

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_EU/3MGraphics/GraphicSolutions/Products/Catalogue/?N=5799&rt=c3

------initial answer---------

I think that it is not appropriate to paint a brand new piece of equipment , painted with electrostatic paint and perfectly finished, for both the aesthetic part and for potential warranty issues.
If I had this problem I would order from a blacksmith a small shelter skeleton and I would put a polycarbonate sheet as a roof (this can be done by a carpenter as well without the need a the polycarbonate sheet).
To get a better idea here is a picture of the concept :

You will of course use  a much smaller size to cover only the unit.


Can an interior wall be built over an existing heat/air vent allowing air in both rooms I am looking to build an interior wall in my master bedroom to creat a walk in closet.  The best placement for the wall hits directly in the center of a current heat/air

You want to make a closet in your master bedroom , to me that is a non load bearing wall(s). This won’t be hard you just cut the bottom plate where the vent hits and move it up a foot or so. Then a wall register on each side provides the same amount of heat or possible slightly more flow because of less restriction.
I put vents in large closets to help keep air movement and reduce the chance of mold and mildew in the closet. You don’t have to duct up to the vents as these are interior walls but I would seal that short stud bay at the bottom and top to keep the air directed in the bedroom closet area.

The amount of air flow to any room is based on “heat loss” or “heat gain”.  You do not want the same size registers In both your bedroom and closet. One room will over heat or over cool.

If the bedroom is on a corner of the house and has windows, it will have significantly more heat loss and/or heat gain.

I live in a moist environment, so a little air movement in every room (including closets) is desired to reduce mold, etc. Be careful of placing the register too low on the wall where it could be blocked.


Powervent Water Heater Has Cold Air coming into Vent I have just had a new powervent water heater installed by a licensed plumber.  All looks well and runs well except the fact that there is a big draft coming back into the vent while the blower is not on. Not just some cold air but coming in pretty hard.  This does not seem to be right. Forget the fact that I live in Chicago area where it has been 3 degree each morning this week it brings extremely cold air into the room

Details:
Installed in Basement along with a high efficiency furnace
Both use combustion air - obviously the Water heater would as there is no other option to vent out the side of the house.  Full Basement not finished so plenty of air.

Vent goes essentially up and out the side of the house and meets all the venting criteria set aside including slope, length, limiting use of 90's etc per the Kenmore manual.  The total run is only about 5 ft plus a few 45's which would make it about 17ft.  It has 3" pipe.

Has anyone seen this before, I cannot find a whole lot of information and honestly the manufacturer has not been much help. They told me I have a venting issue but when telling them my setup they can't tell me what is wrong.

It's a bad & incomplete install & nothing at all to do with the equipment. Get that Contractor back to seal everything up, which is the law. You very likely could & would get exhaust gases with that cold air.

There's absolutely no reason at all that you should feel even the slightest draft. It needs to be fully sealed inside & especially outside. I'm sorry a "pro" left you with this shoddy work...they should've been upfront & scheduled to comeback the next day to finish-up.

If they refuse, then call the Building Inspector to report them & force them back out to do it right.


Can I run CAT6 FTP cables parallel to electrical cable in the same conduit? Can I run CAT6 FTP cables beside to electrical cable (220v 1 amp) in same PVC Trunking ?

Absolutely not.

Low voltage (LV) and mains cannot share a conduit.

Further, you cannot attach anything else to the outside of the electrical conduit.  So forget about ty-wrapping the LV cable to the  outside of the conduit...

NEC 2020, and I don't think it's changed for the last 20 years

  https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards/detail?code=70

  Article 300 - General Requirements for Wiring Methods & Materials
  300.3(C)(1) Conductors of different systems 1000 volts or less

  Conductors of ac & dc circuits rated to 1000 volts nominal or less, shall be permitted to occupy the same equipment wiring enclosure, cable, or raceway.  All conductors shall have an insulation rating equal to at least the maximum circuit voltage applied to any conductor within the enclosure, cable, or raceway.

So first off there is no NEC code prohibiting you from doing so.  If there is then someone should specifically reference it.  No one has in any of the responses here.  Any many of the responses are downright poor.
of logical importance: occupy the same enclosure, cable, or raceway;  If you believe some nec code prohibits from doing what was asked then that would also have to mean when current carrying conductors didn't ALL operate at the same [nominal] voltage then we would have separate conduits for 120v vs 208v vs 240v vs 480v.  That is not the case.  Per 300.3c1 everything being less than 1000 volts it's simply the minimum wire insulation rating has to be observed.
Cat5e and cat6 and any other Ethernet cable is all rated to 300v.  I believe RG-6 coax is as well.  If you find a specific brand with inking saying to 600v then great even better but i don't think they exist.
https://www.mysouthwire.com/medias/sys_master/product-specifications/product-specifications/hd8/h0c/8858069565470.pdf
All romex (nm-b) and any pull wire like thhn is all rated to 600v.  For any U.S. household which is usually 240 volt and below you basically have nothing to worry about with regards voltage and hazards.  Only if your 600v rated romex was being used for 480v then you would not be able to run a cat6 cable in same enclosure, because the cat6 cable insulation is only rated to 300v.
as for signaling and quality of over the CAT 5e/6/7 or RG-6 cable, there is no hazard once the insulation requirements are met.  At most if it is signaling for something important, to some legally required system or emergency system as called out in NEC section 7 then it would be reasonable to not run your cat 5/6/7 or rg-6 in same conduit because the system that goes to is that important.  but the NEC is not concerned about your xfinity and internet signal quality.
the running of cat5/6/7 or rg6 next to romex and/or wire in conduit is blown way out of proportion.  If it were anywhere close to true then every commercial network closet with a rats nest of cat5e UTP all run intertwined and velco strapped with 120v and 240 power cables to equipment would not work.  They work just fine.
it is the twists per inch that differentiates cat 5 vs cat6 vs cat7 and not necessarily cable shielding.  There is UTP (unshielded twisted pair) and STP (shielded twisted pair) which is independent of CAT-#.
the best way to go in any event is with STP (or FTP) or quad-shield coax.  But with FTP or STP you have to use the corresponding metal rj45 connectors to maintain the shielding.  Or you can just buy a 100' STP pre-made cat6 cable.  Likewise with coax simply use RG6 quad shield.  Either of which, having a 300v insulation rating, is thus permitted to be run alongside your 120v or 240v wires in your conduit.  You would then really only need to worry about conduit fill.  for cat6 @ 1gbps I think u would be fine but if you're wanting to do a long run at 10Gbe speeds then I would definitely do FTP or STP.


How should ground wires be handled when updating switch loops in an older home? I have a house built in the 1950’s with fabric covered NMC wiring still present in most circuits.  Those original wires are all 12/2 with no ground.  I am currently in the process of replacing some of my old switch loops with new 12/3 romex from the light fixture to the switch box in order to bring in a neutral for “smart” switches.  The existing switch box is metal.

I want to go from a typical switch loop (my old wiring only has line and neutral)

To one that supplies neutral from the fixture to the switch box

These wiring diagrams belong to do-it-yourself-help.com and can be found here: https://www.do-it-yourself-help.com/wiring_switches.html

My question is, what is the proper way per NEC to terminate the ground wire inside the new 12/3 romex?  The light fixture itself has a ground wire that is currently floating.  Should I leave the ground wire disconnected and just cap it by itself? Should I attach the ground wire at the fixture to the ground at the new cable in the event that ground may someday be brought to that receptacle? (This seems more dangerous to me since it’s definitely not currently grounded.)  Should I clip it up to the romex jacket and pretend it isn’t there?

I know the technically correct thing to do would be to pull new 12/2 wire from the existing fixture back to the panel (basically rewire the whole house), but that is not economically feasible.  I am looking for the most code-compliant way to handle this ground wire, but I am not having any luck searching through the 2017 NEC.  Any advice on the proper way to handle my scenario would be appreciated, especially if they can point to the relevant section(s) of the electrical code.

No fake grounds: Don't create "islands of grounding"

Grounding must start at earth, via your grounding electrode system, to the main panel and its equipotential bond.  Then it must be carried onward from the panel sequentially up the branch circuits.

If you don't do that, you create an "island of grounding" where a few nodes are grounded to each other but nothing is able to return fault current on the ground wire. In that case, you have simply created a "Ground Fault Distribution Network".  (Bad thing).

It means that if any device on that island has a hot-ground fault or leakage, then all the devices on that island have an uncontained ground fault, and their grounded parts are energized at mains voltage. Every switch plate cover screw, every machine chassis, all become lethal to touch.  It's the worst possible outcome.

Isolate the ground wires from the boxes.  This is not necessarily easy, they are bare and will tend to be pushed against the metal parts of boxes and devices.

Consider retrofitting grounds

NEC 2014 made it a lot easier to retrofit just a ground wire, and continue the original cables in service.   Now if you have an island you'd like to ground, you can ground it any which way you can - within some generous limits.

Not any random water pipe will do, but some will.
Neutrals can never be promiscuous (shared across more than one circuit*). But retrofit grounds can. So circuit 7 can grab a ground from circuit 9, provided they source from the same panel.
The pathway must be big enough for the circuit, continuously: so a 20A circuit needs at least a #12 ground (#14 won't do), and a 30, 40 or 50A circuit needs a #10 ground.  Metal conduit of any size is plenty for any of these.   Here's a strategy: first wire a "backbone" ground with #10 to range, water heater, A/C, dryer etc. so you can tap it for other circuits.  likewise run #12 grounds where 15A and 20A circuits are in the same area.

GFCI is a good band-aid

A great many ground fault problems can also be avoided with a GFCI breaker (or GFCI deadfront or livefront strategically placed).  You still get shocked, but only for a few milliseconds.

* a MWBC counts as a single circuit, and its breakers better be handle-tied.

Piggybacking off batsplatsterson's response, the same article of the NEC states you can connect an equipment ground to any point on the grounding electrode system.  Some components of this system you may have easy access to would include:  metal water pipes (if you are sure there are no insulating joints and it is actually bonded to the main panel correctly), grounding electrode conductor (wire that connects your main panel to the water pipe and/or ground rod), ground rod outside the home, etc.


Tiling on Drywall in Shower I have a bathroom where water-resistant drywall was put up around and over the tub. Is it okay to put tile over the drywall around the tub or shower?

If not, what can I do to be able to put tile?

Tile over dry wall even water resistant will not last as long but mat survive for up to 25 years if well sealed and has a gap at the bottom of the tub.
This method of tiling was quite popular in the 50’s, 60’s and into the 70’s . On repair work I have done on tiled bath and shower stalls neglect is usually the cause of the failure. What was the neglect? Failure to reseal the grout so water finally degraded the Sheetrock to the point tiles fall off or someone pushes the wall in , the larger the tile the longer the wall will last.
So can you do it , yes , we flipped several houses with a quick overlay that made a crappy looking bath look like a mid level home.
On my own houses I have always stripped down to the studs, on showers I put up poly vapor barrier, not on tub surrounds, then cement board and then tile. My very first tile shower is over 45years old and the only problem has been the fixtures failed and they were tough to replace as I tiled right up to the valves. (My mom still has this home) last time I was home I did acid etch and reseal the entire thing as my step dad can’t do much any longer but asked if I could make sure it would be ok, Mom has always been worried as it was my first shower back in the 70’s. So if done right they really can last a lifetime and this was 2”x 2”.

The best and safest way is to install your drywall high enough where you know the least amount of water will splash. Then install HardieBacker cement board, tape and mud (thinset) the seams, apply two or three coats of RedGard waterproofing, let it all dry, and finally thinset and tile. I've done two showers this way; it works like a charm.


Can you add a cable connector in knockouts in a breaker box after the wires are already in place? A sub-panel has a cable of three 12 gauge wires for HVAC coming into the box through a big knock out hole.  The HVAC people did not put a connector on the cable.  Is there a connector designed to be added after the fact which would snap around the wires and get pushed into the hole from the inside of the panel?  The panel is in a wall with no good way to get to the outside of the box at this point.

Yes, there are connectors that can be slipped onto the cable and popped into place in the panel knockout. They do not snap over the cable though, you must disconnect the wires and slide the connector over them.

Also, here: http://www.amazon.com/Hubbell-4714B5-Connector-Thermoplastic-Installs/dp/B007IAMVFW/ref=sr_1_19?s=lamps-light&ie=UTF8&qid=1417826273&sr=1-19

This certainly sounds like a code violation and will require ripping the wall open to repair; the cost of that should be borne by the company that did the work incorrectly, but it may be difficult to get them to actually pay for it, unless you can work via a licensing board (ie, if they have an electrical license allowing them to do electrical work in connection with HVAC work, you should be able to take this up with the board that issued that license, which might cause them to pay for the rework needed to tear the wall open, fix this, and repair the wall again.)

If they are just unlicensed yahoos, I'm not sure what you can successfully threaten them with other than an exposé in the local news media.

If you have 3 romex cables, those need to come into the box through 3 separate openings with clamps - I don't believe there's any such thing as a clamp listed for 3 cables in one hole.

If you have 3 THHN (or related) wires, they should be in a conduit to get to the panel, and that conduit should be connected to the panel box.

In either case you need to disconnect the wires, take them out of the box, put in the proper fittings, and put the wires back into the box. If you need to tear a hole in the wall to do that, you need to tear a hole in the wall to do that.


Replacement deck beam equivalence I have to replace the main beam in a deck at my house. The deck is 10 x 23 and the beam is 6 feet from the wall with the other side of the deck supported from the wall. The deck joists are sistered to the floor joists with lag bolts (about 3 feet of sistered joist section). As per the above there is 4 feet of cantilevered joist going past the beam and 5 feet of cantilevered beam that connects to another beam.

The beam span is 18' and the original beam is a 13.5 x 6.75 glulam. It failed due to dry-wood termites and water causing the laminated sections to separate right over the column connector. I think that a previous owner may have had a plant right over the beam where it joins the column and when watered steady stream of water ended up on the corner of the beam. It never sagged in the center. The deck is ~35 years old and was built with the house. For good measure I am also replacing the posts, joists (many are pretty rotten) and deck boards (which where still there after 35 years so very rotten).

Anyways this size (13.5 x 6.75) while available and not terribly expensive (~$400) would be very hard to get into position to lift into place (lifting wouldn't be that hard). The issue is that the back of the house is situated over a very steep hill (practically a cliff) and not accessible by heavy equipment.

A few alternatives I am considering.

Making a built up beam using 3 2x14's and a 3x14 (13.25 x 7) how would I calculate if this is equivalent to the 13.5 x 6.75.
Adding an extra post (the soil is very hard but I could hit bedrock or a huge boulder within 24" or so).

I am mainly am looking for input on number 1 above.

Download a free pdf Wood Deck Construction Guide from the American Wood Council. It is based on current codes and standards and can help with all aspects of wood deck construction in the absence of specific direction from your local AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction).

It will not address engineered construction members (like laminated beams) though...

I built a similar deck 25 years ago. It is 16' by about 16' (irregular shape). I used two 2 X 12 ( southern pine ) at the center. They are not sistered , one on each side of 4 X 4 posts. It has work well , no bounce or spring ,which I do not like. I did not follow any code .


20 Amp single receptacle on two 15 amp breakers? I bought a new Master Blaster that draws 18 amps when using both of its motors that I intend to use to when washing/detailing my car.
In my garage, I currently don’t have a 20 amp outlet. I have two 15 amp outlets and then I found a single large round dryer outlet that was rated for 30 amps and 250 volts. When I pulled it out of the electrical box, I found one black wire, one white wire, and one ground wire.
The part that’s confusing is that to shut off electricity to the black wire I had to flip one 15 amp breaker and to shut off electricity to the white wire, I had to flip another 15 amp breaker (see pictures). I’m guessing they added the two to get the 30 amps for the dryer plug.
I purchased a single (only one outlet) 20 amp receptacle that has a brass screw, a stainless screw, and a ground screw. Can I swap the 30 amp for the 20 amp without running into any problems? The single 20 amp info on the box says that the wires should by up to 10 AWG for this receptacle. I’m not sure if that’s what I have running through the wall.
I’ll likely use the 18 amp Master Blaster for maximum 10 minutes at a time with a 25 foot 12 AWG extension cord.
Is this wire setup in the wall up to code?
If not up to code, is this still safe?
Any issues with this setup (two 15 amp breakers for two different wires, the 20 amp single outlet, the 25ft extension cord, and the master blaster)?
Most important is, what do I need to do to set up the 20 amp single receptacle where the dryer plug used to be and not burn the place down?

What a mess...
Assuming that your diagnosis is correct - two wires in the same cable connected to totally separate breakers, you have several different problems going on:

A 30A dryer receptacle should be on a pair of 30A breakers. This is 2 independent 15A breakers. You don't add (though it sounds logical) 15A + 15A to get 30A, because the 30A refers to 30A @ 240V. Each of those 15A breakers is actually 15A @ 120V. The two existing breakers together gives you 15A @ 240V.
Breakers for a dryer or similar 240V load need to be in a pair that trip at the same time. That is important for safety. As you already discovered, you could turn off one breaker but still have power in the box. If you had a dryer plugged in and it tripped one breaker but not the other, you might think there was no power in the box and get zapped while trying to fix it. The only way to do that properly is with a pair of breakers that are side by side and connected together (really "one device").
Most of your breakers are "double stuff"/"half size". That is not in and of itself a problem. However, a pair of breakers to provide 240V needs to be either 2 full size breakers side-by-side or the middle set of 2 pairs of double stuff breakers, as I believe is the case with the 40A pair in the lower left.
A dryer normally needs two hots + neutral + ground. There is a grandfathered way of two hots + neutral, no ground. Your cable just provides two hots + ground or hot + neutral + ground. My guess is that it was wired up using the ground wire as the neutral wire, since black & white were definitely hots. That is another Very Bad Thing.

So what you had before was:

Wrong size breakers - 15A instead of 30A
Wrong arrangement of breakers - not next to each other
Not common trip
Neutral on the ground wire

Basically, a disaster waiting to happen.
On to your new setup. You did not indicate if this is a 20A 120V device or 20A 240V device. My guess is that it is 20A 120V. If that is the case then:

You need to determine the size of the cable wires. My guess is either 12 AWG or 10 AWG. 10 AWG is what you need for 30A. 12 AWG is the minimum for 20A. 14 AWG is the minimum for 15A. If it is 14 AWG then forget about it and start over.
You need a single 20A breaker. You should be able to replace one of the existing double stuff breakers. You can replace the 15/15 with a 20/15 or the 15/20 with a 20/20. Do not upsize anything else at the same time - i.e., if you replace the 15/15, you can't put in a 20/20 because you have to assume that at least some of the wire on the other 15 is only 14 AWG.
In the panel: The black wire from the cable goes to the new breaker. The white wire goes to the neutral bar (except...GFCI, see below). The ground wire might be going to the neutral bar or the ground bar right now, or (hopefully only if this is the main panel) neutrals and grounds mixed together. But seeing what a mess you already have, anything is possible.
This will leave you with one unused 15A breaker, which can be used for another new circuit.

GFCI could complicate things here. Generally speaking, new receptacles in a garage (among other places) need to have GFCI protection. That can be at the panel, except not normally as part of double stuff breakers, and you are out of space to do anything except double stuff without a lot of extra work. So that means taking back the single plain receptacle and getting a GFCI receptacle (single or double) instead.
But I'd be really concerned about other problems. Knowing about problems with just one dryer circuit, who knows what else is possibly wrong. Touching "anything" in the panel could be a recipe for disaster.

Jacket on your Romex is white. That means 14 Guage wire, 15A max. Google "Electrician near me" because you have a maxed out panel my friend