Proper way to install double-layer of subfloor? I am installing natural stone tile, so I've had to reinforce the joists a bit and I'm currently working on installing a new subfloor.

The subfloor is 3/4" plywood with 1/2" plywood on top of it. The underlayment will be Ditra.

My main question here is about how to secure to the joists. Normal application with just 3/4" I would squirt down some construction adhesive to the joists, lay the 3/4" layer and screw 8" on edges and 12" in the middle. This becomes slightly more complicated because I have two layers now and I need to know whether I should still do the 8" and 12" method on the first layer as well as on the second layer, or if there's a different way I should be approaching the screwing and gluing.

As a side question, should I glue the first and second layer of plywood together with construction adhesive?

Fasten your first layer plywood subfloor as you normally should.

The second (top) layer of plywood joints should not coincide with the joists and the second layer should not be fastened to the joists.

Article quote from - Position of Underlayment to Prevent Cracked Tile and Grout
By Frank Woeste and Peter A. Nielsen
For publication by the TILE LETTER Magazine (read whole article):

  The 2003-2004 Tile Council of America’s (TCA) Handbook for Ceramic Tile Installation contains numerous details for a double layer wood floor system supporting ceramic tile.  The thicknesses of the subfloor and underlayment are given in each case.  Specific guidance on where to butt the underlayment end joints is not given for any detail.  For example, for F142-03, the TCA Handbook states, “offset end and edge joints of the underlayment panels by at least two inches from the joints of subfloor panels; they should not coincide with framing below."  It further states, “underlayment fasteners should not penetrate joists below."  In the case of F150-03, the offsetting is not mentioned, but it does state, “underlayment fasteners should not penetrate joists below."  The same holds true for F155; however, it also states, “face grain of plywood should run perpendicular to trusses, I-joists, or sawn lumber for maximum stiffness."  The purpose of this article is to propose specific guidelines for the orientation and placement of underlayment, including end and edge joints, beyond the rules given in the TCA Handbook, to improve the performance of double layer wood systems.  These guidelines are based on engineering science and field observations.

Also, since you will be using Ditra, make sure to stick with their guidelines for warranty purposes. Specifically see page 8 and 23 from The Ditra Handbook for your application.

Make sure first layer is fastened to national code.
Install second layer with all edges off set, leave 1/8-3/16 gape and fill with silicone.
Nail or screw 6 inch on edge and 8 inch in the field.

Side note: Follow MFG specs.


Quick and temp way to cover this floor? The glue in the pic is making me sick and I just want to temporarily cover it until I decide whether I will replace the whole floor etc.

I have some vinyl sheet lying around so I'd like to make use of it if possible. I thought I’ll just cut it to fit and then go around it with silicone(to prevent current adhesive or vinyl backing smell from coming out).

Will this work or what is the minimum I will need to do in order to temporsrily but somewhat effectively cover this beating in mind the edges will meet vinyl tiles.

Perhaps the new sheet needs to be cut, glued down and then something around to seal the underneath in.  Will caulk do it to go around?

Thanks

I don't know if you would glue it down if you are only having it as a temporary, you can cut it and lay it and it will do the job though.

You can silicone the edges and it will leave a nice finish and it is quite easily removed when you decide something permanent.


Freezer evaporator keep frosting My Whirlpool (bottom) freezer's evaporator keeps frosting, thus rendering the (top) refrigerator warm.

Actions already taken:

Replaced Defrost heater (U-shaped, stove coil-like heating element)
Replaced Defrost thermostat (small "eye" looking thing, with 2 wires, and clips on the start of the cooling coil)
cleaned the coils at the bottom (outside).
Magnetic door strips looks fine to me.

The freezer frosts completely after around 9-days. The temperature will get extremely cold (-16C) and humidity will be around 70%, with the evaporator completely frosted.

What other things should I check?

Partial frosting is a common sign of loss of refrigerant pressure, i.e. a leak in your evaporative cooling system. You've already addressed the other likely causes of frosting (great!) but that leaves you with the likelihood that it's a leak (doh!).

Refrigerant chemicals are environmentally toxic and potentially hazardous, so at this point you should either have it professionally serviced or replace it (disposing of the old unit properly).


Looking for a WATT-O-METER with specific features Recently I bought an OWL+USB WATT-O-METER and got very disappointed. Making a long story short, I'm looking for a device that will give me:

accurate readings
good software for data management
a watt-hour counter for 24 hour cycle - on the display monitor, very important.

I want to know what my electricity consumption is in 24hr without calculating anything, so it should have a feature that shows this information on the monitor.

Can someone recommend a proper device?

I personally use an APC with the free management software for my computer...

Most of their Back-UPS® line of products have the ability to connect to a computer and monitor your input/output power.  Some of them, like the APC Power-Saving Back-UPS Pro 1300 that I use, even offer an LCD display to see the current stats without a computer . The computer software these UPSs use is free at no additional cost, so you are only paying for the actual unit.  If you wanted to use this as a whole house solution, there are some detailed solutions out there, such as this one.  It all depends on home much you wish to invest into such a product, and what you intend to accomplish...


Is it normal for GFI test button to trip GFI when the circuit is dead? My welder has been tripping the GFI on the circuit in the garage after I have been using it a while.  I finally took the cover off and discovered the electrician saved himself, what? $2 and used a 15amp GFI, even though the circuit breaker is 20A like I specified.  (Why didn't the building inspector catch this?  Is it to code?)
Anyway, that is not my question. I turned the circuit breaker off in prep to replace the GFI with a 20A one.  Went back to the outlet, and pressed the test button, as a quick test to make sure I had disconnected the correct breaker.  The GFI trips.  I'm like, doggonit, I didn't flip the right breaker.  I hit the reset button, and it will not reset. Weird, I did flip the right circuit breaker, the GFI receptacle is tripping even though the circuit is dead.
Well, thats crazy! If the GFI is not tripping because of an imbalance of current going through hot to neutral, but instead tripping because the button itself is mechanically tripping the reset, what is the point of having a test button?  It is not really testing the GFI, it is only testing the mechanical tripping function of the test button!
Am I mis-understanding what a test button is supposed to indicate?

Ok 2 parts, yes you are misunderstanding how a (listed) GFCI completes its test.
The test is completed by the internal circuitry creating an imbalance.
The clicking noise you hear is the mechanical debounce  that helps the reset function work better (not all GFCI’s use this method but many do because who would trust a micro switch smaller than a pencil eraser that you can not feel it click?
As for your welder if it is plug in with 2 parallel blades you only need a 15 amp receptacle having 2 receptacles it is legal on a 20 amp circuit (the feed through is rated for 20 amp). So it would not have been a code violation.
A 15 amp and 20 amp GFCI have the same circuitry the only difference is the shape of the receptacle itself.  They both trip at ~5ma and have 20 amp feed through if supplying other receptacles.

No. You are correct. Pressing the test button is an electrical test which should do absolutely nothing without power.  If that is happening, either the wiring is not what you expect or the GFI outlet is defective. I suggest completely unwiring the GFI outlet to determine which is the cause.
PS. It should not be necessary to remove the cover to determine if an outlet is 15A or 20A. That should be visually apparent from the slot configuration. See the image.


What could cause the ground wire on my baseboard heater to burn? On the photo below, you can see that the ground wire as burned.

Description of what i know:

the wire is connected on a 240V line to my baseboard heater
the wire seems to be a AWG 14/2
I don't know about the AMP of the wire. I cannot see it.
the breaker in the panel is a 20A that use 2 slots
The baseboard heater is a little 500W

I've just bought this house so i cannot tell if something wrong happened in the pass. Is it possible to test the wires with a tool to find reasons why it have burned? Maybe some data numbers will help me to find it out. Is it dangerous to put the baseboard heater back on this wire or should i open my wall and change the wire completely?

Burnt wires are usually the result of a loose connection.  When a connection is not solid, wires can heat up. This can be an even bigger problem with high amperage devices (heater, stoves, etc.).  This likely has been an issue for a long time, and finally reached the breaking point.

The problem with overheating wires, is that the issue becomes compounded over time. Through constant heating/cooling cycles, the connection can become looser, the wire can become brittle, and the resistance in the wire can be increased.  The more the resistance of the wire increases, the hotter the wire gets.  Eventually, the wire can get hot enough to burn off the insulation. When it gets to this point you hope the wire breaks causing a short (which will trip the breaker), or at least breaking the circuit so current can no longer flow.  If the wire does not break, you could be in much bigger trouble if the wire gets hot enough to start a fire.

The fact that the ground is burnt, is concerning.  Typically the ground should not be carrying current, and so should not be heating up.  You'll want to check the heater for a ground fault, to figure out why current is flowing in the ground. Check to make sure the bare ground wires behind the thermostat are pushed to the back of the box, to prevent them from touching the bare terminals on the thermostat.

My advice to you, would be to contact a local licensed electrician. It's difficult to accurately diagnose issues like this, through the internet. An electrician will be able to explain the cause to you, and tell you what the options are to remedy this problem.

There was a problem once, although it might have been lightning. One way to add a level of protection would be to add a GCFI receptacle or breaker to the circuit. If it blows, then you'll know there is a problem, and it might keep the heater from curling your hair.


Sump Pump Trips GFCI Receptacle. Is a single, dedicated non-GFCI receptacle safe? I recently replaced my sump pump in one of my two sump pits.   To comply with codes, I replaced the outlet with a GFCI type outlet.  Unfortunately, once I turn the power back on, the GFCI trips immediately.  I eventually gave up and put the single 20amp receptacle back and the pump is working fine.

I've done some searching online and couldn't seem to get a consistent answer.  Is this a sign that there is a fault with the pump?   Is the nature of a sump pump such that some current will leak to ground?   Ultimately, is it safe to use a single, dedicated receptacle in this application?  Finally, do local codes even account for this circumstance?

There used to be an exception to the code, that said that a sump pump didn't have to be on a GFCI if it was on a dedicated circuit, and it was connected using a single receptacle*.  And by "single receptacle" they meant a non-duplex receptacle.  One like this...

With that said, "officially" there should be no problem with having a sump pump on a GFCI circuit.  Unofficially, there are sometimes problems with sump pumps on GFCI circuits.  The manufacturers are supposed to reduce or eliminate any leakage current, However, nobody sent the memo to manufacturers so they don't always get it right. Because of this, you may find that a sump pump does trip a GFCI from time to time.

If the GFCI was tripping every time, and immediately. You'll want to first verify that:

There is not a ground-fault in the sump pump.
The GFCI wiring is correct.
The GFCI is not faulty.
The GFCI was manufactured within the past 3-4 years.
The GFCI is rated for the proper current draw.
The circuit wiring is correct.

If all of this checks out, you may wan to consider using a single receptacle to connect the sump pump.  While it's not up to code, a slight electric shock hazard may be preferable to a flooded house. Though a house flooded with electrified water, might not be the best thing ever.

WARNING:

It is not safe, or up to current code to install a sump pump using a non-GFCI receptacle. And I am not telling you to do so.

I will say that a sump pump installation does not require the circuit to which the pump is connected to be upgraded, if the pump is connected to the circuit in a cord and plug configuration.

**citation needed*

If the problem is with a septic tank sump pump then it could be the wiring from the  inside of the house to the outside like an exposed underground wire that has been damaged with outdoor equipment.


How can I remove a jammed, broken key from a lock? I have a key to an apartment mailbox that was almost impossible to get the key in and out of to unlock, and in trying, my roommate broke the key off in it. From looking in with a light, it seems that all of the key except the outermost pin is in the lock, but the lock won't turn even when putting the head back in.

I've generously lubricated the lock, tried hooking a small scroll saw blade in the teeth, and used a lockpick set with various hooks to try dragging the key out, but it's pretty firmly stuck. So my question is: with this being an entire row of mailboxes and me unable to just remove the lock, how would you recommend either getting the key out, or replacing the lock?

The key sounds like a lost cause. The lock will probably need to be changed.

The mail carrier has access to the box, usually through a large panel at the top (above the doors you open). It is likely that access to the lock is possible when that large panel is open.

You probably need to coordinate with her or him and the superintendent of your building to remove and replace the lock.

try a pick?

(source: harborfreight.com)
can be gotten at any hardware store, i know this works with schlage keys, done it many times at an ice rink with people breaking keys
if you get it out get a new key and lube it with powdered graphite


What are some methods to get rid of and prevent pink mold in the bathroom? I have some pink mold on the seam where the bathtub connects to my wall tiles. There's also some on the grout on some of my tiles.

I've tried to clean them with ajax. It doesn't get it all off. I've also tried to spray the tub and the tiles with a 50/50 solution of vinegar/water and that didn't fully get rid of them.

How do I get rid of the pink mold? Once I get rid of it, how do I keep it off?

The pink stuff is a bacterial biofilm. Cleaning agents containing bleach work well to kill the stuff.

Dont breath in that stuff. Look it up guys, it's bad for your health. Once you have it in you home forget it, it's there forever. only answer is to get it grinded off. Toss all your old cloths, sponges etc you use and get microfiber cloths. rags hold the mold you can bleach the hell out of it and it will come back again, again.


Can I install a new hob, or will I need a larger circuit? I want to swap a ceramic hob for another model.
My current set is: oven and a hob rated at 2075+6000=8075W in total ,they go through a 32Amp Circuit breaker, the oven is plugged to the wall, the hob is hard wired.
The new hob is 6500W, 2075+6500=8575W this should be fine considering circuit diversity. Is this a straight job (wire the new hob) or should I get an electrician to actually upgrade the circuit breaker?

Straight up. If you only work on the cooktop and do not go into the wall circuits, fair game.


How to do I calculate how much sand and cement needed for bedding mortar I need to make some bedding mortar for laying coping stones on a brick wall

Ive calculated the volume of mortar needed

12m x 0.41m x 0.03m = 0.1476 m3

I buy cement and sand in 25 kg bags and would use 1-4 cement/sand ratio
So 125kg would be 1 bag of cement to 4 bags of sand

but how to I equate weight with volume ?

An 80 pound bag is about half a cubic foot (sorry, as for metric, you're on your own).

  The finished volume of an 80# bag of Sacrete or Quikrete (pre-mixed cement, sand and gravel) is 0.6 cubic foot (stated on the bag). There are 27 cubic feet in a cubic yard. Dividing 27 cubic feet by the volume of the bag will give you the number of bags you need. –Google

Sand and cement are always mixed by volume. The mix is 1:3.


How to cut hole larger than 1/3 of joist? I need to run a toilet drain (3”) through three joists (9 1/4”). Code states holes in joists can not exceed 1/3 the size of the joists. Catch is for 3” pipe I need a 3 5/8” hole — which is larger than 1/3 the height of the joist.

Now what? I assume I could reinforce the joist? But I can’t find any specific info on this. Is there an official way to handle this?

EDIT: one workaround I’m seeing is that I could instead drop below these joists in a closet...which would reduce the height of the closet but maybe the best option?

I have seen these before. https://www.metwood.com/joist-reinforcers/ . I do not know if they are code approved, but it looks like a good start.

This pic is from their website

It looks like they are not graduated lower to account for the fall of the pipe unless they over sized the hole to allow for some slope.

The “one-third rule” is for general construction. For shorter spans, (like a 3-4’ span across a closet,) it may be perfectly fine.

We’re not all structural engineers, so those “rules” are for general construction practices. However, we do prefer holes through the center of the joists (halfway from the top to the bottom) where there is neither tension nor compression. And not located in the middle third of the span where the joist “bends” the most.

Your “notch” may be fine and the joists across the closet may be stronger than the span across your bedroom. (We prefer a footing under both bedroom walls, but is not mandatory, depending on loads, spans, etc. )


Is it possible to use a dryer vent as a heat source in the winter? Is it possible to attach a diverter to an electric clothes dryer vent so it can help heat my house in the winter? Seems like such a waste to blow it all outside. I imagine you'd need some sort of filter or maybe a radiant heating option.

Dryer vent air is full of water vapor and dust. I wouldn't want to blow it into my house.

I do not know how much heat (BTU's) a dryer outputs during a run but it seems like it would be a small amount, and of course most people don't run their dryer very often - maybe a handful of times a week.

It seems that many of the people here are simply answering based on their personal experience for their particular scenario. Fact is, in the winter most homes NEED more humidity hence the reason people by humidifiers that they run in the winter time. So to say that it’s not a good idea because of the moisture is NOT applicable in all situations. During the winter (which is when you would be using your dryers heat to heat the home) is when the extra moisture would be welcomed in most cases. So you can’t simply say it’s not a good idea because of moisture. It’s just not true. You have to look at each scenario based on its on merits. Determine weather or not your home would benefit from the added moisture generated from the dryer and then make YOUR decision based on YOUR needs, not some blanket response. There are two things that are definite though. One is that this is only to be done with ELECTRIC dryers and the other is to have some form of lint filtration method employed which is a totally separate issue from the moisture issue and should be addressed independently from the moisture issue. I have NOT done the research on using this method on gas dryers simply because my dryer is electric but I am certain that if you have the time and money to invest in some sort of method to eliminate and natural gas from the heated air before you vent it into your home it most certainly exists. As far as the lint issue goes there are filters available down to .5 microns which will filter out the lint with no trouble but make sure you replace/wash them accordingly. There is actually a product designed specifically for this application. It’s called “Dryer Net” from demo air net. Here is the link. http://dryernet.com/  So that takes care of the lint issue provided you do what is required of you to maintain it. Then you can decide weather you need to address the humidity issue or if you would benefit from it. There are plenty of websites you can visit to help you determine how to check the humidity level in your home and what if anything you need to do to lower or raise it. Always consider any specific health issues when determining weather or not your home needs more or less humidity. What’s good for one person’s health may not be good for another, so make sure you take EVERYONE’S needs into consideration when making the decision. If you decide that you need to address the humidity situation before you vent the heat into your home then and in-line duct dehumidifier should take care of that as well. They range in price from around $200 to over $2,000 depending on what you need it to do but in the case of a dryer vent you should be fine with the $200 price range units available from most home stores such as Sears. In addition to these two products there are also in-line “air valves” that can control the air flow during those times you do NOT want the heat directed into your home. Simply install the in-line valve and when you want heat to be directed into the home you open the valve to the correct position to send the heat into the home or close the valve to direct the heat to your normal exhausting direction. Bottom line is YES you can safely and effectively use your dryer to heat your home provided you do a little research and determine what YOU need to do for YOUR specific application. In the process you can save yourself about $25 to $40 a month in heating costs thus paying for the items purchased and time used to install them over the long haul. Generally speaking if you save an average of $30 a month in heating costs by purchasing $240 worth of products the items will pay for themselves in only 8 months of usage. If you make use of your dryer for 4 months out of the year to help heat your home by the third year you will be putting money in the bank and we all love that. Hope this helps those of you who want an answer that isn’t a blanket answer offered by previous responders to this question. Not to knock them, they most likely simply did not consider all the variables in the question therefore answered off the hip versus actual research done on the products made to do this EXACT function. Good luck and happy heating. I’m staying toasty warm in my bedroom while my clothes are drying in the laundry room.


What size uncaulked gap should be left at the bottom of a shower tile job, to allow draining? The contractor's intent was to leave a gap at the bottom of this tile job, to allow drainage, and as an alternative to a caulk job requiring periodic maintenance:

However it did not work, the gap is too small. A bead of water forms (via surface tension) and sticks there long enough it's still wet by the next shower.

The tile is talavera style, unglazed at the edges and relatively porous.
The lip on the shower pan goes up about 15mm.  The present gap is about 3-5mm.  There's hardy board behind the tile.

I'm thinking a larger vertical gap would have worked.
If you were going for a no-caulk tile in a case like this, how high would you have set the first course?

Fire your contractor. The tiles aren't set square, the grout lines look HUGE, and the grout is discolored.
Caulk the entire perimeter. You might allow a 1 inch horizontal gap on each side for a weep hole as suggested by @freshop.

1 inch.  So caulk it but leave a 1 inch section uncaulked as a weep hole.  Just leaving that inch (per side) uncaulked will be enough to relieve hydrostatic pressure of any water that gets behind the tile. That water wants to go down because of gravity, but if you completely caulk around the gap it won't be able to escape easily and would leave moisture behind your caulking and eventually stains will come through.


My breaker panel is in a sump closet, should I move it? I just purchased a new home and I'm going to replace the breaker panel (it's full and I want expansion room).  The panel is located directly above the sump pump in a small closet in the corner of the basement.  I was wondering if I should have it moved when it's replaced?  The one electrician I talked to (my realtor is a former electrician and also my Uncle) said it's not hurting anything.

First off -- if the sump/sump pump protrude above the surrounding floor level, then they are a 110.26(E)(1)(a) violation:

  (a) Dedicated Electrical Space. The space equal to the width and depth of
  the equipment and extending from the floor to a height of 1.8 m (6 ft) above
  the equipment or to the structural ceiling, whichever is lower, shall be
  dedicated to the electrical installation. No piping, ducts, leak protection
  apparatus, or other equipment foreign to the electrical installation shall be
  located in this zone.

Second -- even if the sump doesn't violate the letter of 110.26(E)(1)(a), it could still be seen as a violation of 110.26, as it poses a potential tripping or wet-surface hazard to someone working on the equipment:

  110.26 Spaces About Electrical Equipment. Access and working space shall
  be provided and maintained about all electrical equipment to permit ready and
  safe operation and maintenance of such equipment.

So, I'd move the panel if feasible; at the very least, I'd talk to the AHJ about it -- I'd want to have an official interpretation on file for such a situation, even if the panel can't move.

Also, will the closet itself let the panel door open the full 90deg, and is there a space in front of the panel above the floor at least 30" wide and 36" deep? If either of those things are false, then the panel must move anyway, as the NEC working clearance rules in 110.26(A) would then be violated.

I don't think it violates the working clearance in the electrical code.  I have seen tons of sump pumps under boxes.  Tons.  I have never seen them mentioned in inspection reports or in disclosures nor the city say anything after doing a new home inspection.  Most sump pumps have covers and are flat on the floor and really there should be less water by the sump pump than other parts of your basement.

However this is all about the interpretation of the local inspector.  Really you should just call your city hall and ask to talk to the inspector - send them a picture or have them come over.  Ask if you upgraded would you be required to move the box.  They are the only ones that can tell you this.

Is it best to have a sump pump under your box... No.   But would a normal person pay $2k to not have a sump pump under their box... No.


Why does my mixer shower run intermittently cold? I have a mixer shower and the water runs intermittently completely cold for approx 10 seconds approx every 2 mins. No other taps in my apartment do this. All my hot water comes from a combi boiler.
Any idea what the problem is and how I would fix it?
From reading on google I understand thermostatic mixers can have these problems, but I don't know how to tell if mine is thermostatic. The brand is Bristan. My model is old - but its something like this

You seem to be describing an anti-scalding device that is malfunctioning. This could either be a thermostatic valve (as you mention) or a pressure balance valve (another type of anti-scald device).
They have been required by code for many years and while I cannot specifically tell if your shower valve has an anti-scald device in it, given that it looks newer it likely has one.
You should see some sort of manufacturer name on the shower valve. Just Google every single word you see on your shower valve. Also try "Google Image Search" and flip through the images until you see something that looks like your valve.
Googling will help you find the specific valve and see if you can replace the internal anti-scald device. These are often accessible from the front so if you're lucky, you will not need to break through the wall.

One of the two heating elements in your water heater may be failing.


Extending joists to reach a new beam. What code to review? I have spoken with a contractor about removing two load bearing walls (amongst other work).  The two load bearing walls are parallel but offset by two feet to provide space for a range/oven in the kitchen.  We discussed a somewhat goofy three-beam setup to manage this but it would sure be nice to have a single beam for the full span.  This beam would run roughly along the center of the house and there are presently joists running from each exterior wall and overlapping a foot or so over the to-be-removed wall.  Along with checking the point loads at the end, the joists above the to-be-removed walls would have to be extended to the new beam location from the existing load bearing wall location.  The shift is exactly two feet.

Where should I research code requirements for this?  The house is in Pennsylvania.  The contractor and their engineer would certainly confirm any final design but I would like to do some initial calculations to check plausibility.

Use beam sizing software. There are ones available for free.

All things can designed outside of the "code" which is what the "code" defaults too if it is not prescribed. We usually just have plans and beam calcs to match that all get approved by our building officials and are not "in" the code.

I am not an engineer and it is allowed in my jurisdiction. Other jurisdictions the beams must be calc'd by an engineer. Point is, you do not have to be confined to the prescribed "code" per se. You can "design" it


How should I connect electrical wires to a cooktop (platetop)? I'm having some problems understanding how to connect some electric wires for a platetop.

The wire colors normally mean, blue=N, brown=L, and yellow/green=PE.

My problem is, the platetop has L1 & L2:

When I connect the blue wire to L1, nothing happens. When I connect the blue wire to L2, then the platetop works, but only half of them on the right.

This is how it's connected now:

What am I doing wrong?

THIS IS NOT A JOKE- THIS APPLIANCE NEEDS TO BE INSTALLED PROPERLY

This is how it should be wired using 220-240volt

BUT

There are some things to consider first!

The wires you are using to connect to .. are they the provided wires? there should have been a solid copper U bridge to connect L1/L2 to each other too!? Where is it?

If that is not the original cable you must consider using 2.5mm solid core cable

But also the wire that is in the plug should be the same/similar type! and it should be DEDICATED ONLY
meaning no other plugs on that line

Before the stove you need an isolation switch (any electrician that says this is not needed is a bad electrician!)

And MOST IMPORTANT

A 8AMP (MAX 1700WATT) on 2.5MM Solid Core Dedicated Line!!!

Be warned if you do not meet these requirements you are putting your self at a electrical fire risk - and this is for ALL 220VOLT Installation anywhere in the world. If you have ome insurance and it burns down and they find that your new stove did not meet these electrical rules.. sorry - insurance void!!  Even after installation you need a NEW electrical test certificate to certify there are no GROUND leaks! or micro shorts!

Why blue on L2? WRONG !! Use 4 wires, 2 phases, neutral(blue) and ground(yellow). Dont use 1 phase if your house have 3 phases. Every kitchen have to had a 3 phase. Connect like this:


Lifting 200-300 LBS with 2x8 wood - design question I want to lift the body off my 66 VW (not the whole car). Since I already have a 450 lb rated hoist, I decided to take an advantage of it and use it for lifting. This comes handy specially when try to put the body back on the frame.
Question I have if my design can handle the weight? I am only planning to suspend the body for a few mins, until I move the frame out and place the dolly under it to lower it down.
With that said, I have
I have two  2”x6”- 5 feet long going across the front and rear windows opening. (inside I have some extra woods / padding so it not resting on the doors).
On top I have a 5 feet long 2”x8” with a 1/2" eye in the center of it.
The bottom woods are fastened to the top wood with 3/8” threaded rods and also all the bolts are 3/8” head.

The weight of the body is 200 LB, but for safety, let’s assume is 300 LB. can the woods handle the lift? My main concern is the top wood which is lifting 300 LB (~ 150 on each side). can 150 LB on each side bend the 2”x8” enough to break it?
All these woods were purchased from Home Depots. Not sure what kind of woods they are but used for constructions.

This will most likely work if the body is as light as you say, but that seems like an optimistic estimate.  When you start to lift, the board should tell you if it's going to be ok.

By the book, this isn't strictly "safe", but I don't have a problem with self-engineered solutions.  The one thing you have to remember is to treat the lifted object as if it could fall at any moment.  Never put yourself or one of your limbs under the body and always predict how it will fall if it does and stay out of that path.

What you have created will work, but it is also dangerous in that it has not been tested or properly planned/designed.  It could damage the car, and it could damage you, so treat it like a pending failure, and be happy when everything does work out.

wood table pic attached

if u are going to use 2x8 in the lifting orientation per your pic, then you're doing it perp. to the grain and you are not taking advantage of it's strength... which is ok you can just stack 2x8's two, three, or four thick to meet your strength needs.  Not ideal obviously.

the smarter thing to do would be to use a lifting strap to allow orientation of the 2x8 so you can lift parallel to the grain  (with the 8" side of the 2x8 being vertical)

i didn't modify the pic's for 2x8, it is for 2x4.

rather than using one 2x8 you could easily use two or more 2x4 passing through the interior to lift the body.

be mindful of ripping your hoist out of the ceiling.  Strength of using [multiple] lag bolts into ceiling joists is completely independent of the attached wood compress/shear tables.


How can I protect my rug from being dented by table stands? I have one rug (rug on top of carpet in my apartment) in the living room where a center table rests, and one rug under the dining table. Each of the rugs have developed dents at the point of contact with the table stands, (due to the pressure from stands).

Is there any way to protect the rug from denting?

Put something under the table legs to diffuse the pressure to a wider area.  Something like the circle disc (2 inch variety) furniture moving pads would work for something like this.

The more plush the carpet, the more obvious the marks left behind when you move the sofa. Since leaving furniture out of the room isn't a practical option, you can use several preventive methods to keep those carpet dents to a minimum. Small pieces of scrap carpet, furniture coasters or an area rug all help prevent those carpet craters.


LED Strip Light Fixture/Luminaire - Is Junction box required? I have been having a hard time figuring this out through looking at US NEC code and online sources. I am adding LED strip light fixtures/luminaires to a closet (hanging it directly above the door frame or on the ceiling depending on how things go). It will be installed in accordance with code being at least 12" from "closet space"). The fixture is similar to this. Instructions are also similar to this

Am I able to run standard NM 2-wire + ground cabling directly into the light fixture through one of the integrated knockouts and splice inside the fixture's housing? I would install NM push-in connectors in the light fixture knockout so it will hold the Romex in place.

I've seen fluorescent t8 fixtures wired in this way where the light fixture itself was considered the junction box. However, the LED light fixture's instructions show a junction box being used with a plate between it and the light fixture. The plate has a center knockout that the wire is run through and then passes through the light fixture knockout. The wires are all spliced within the light fixture according to the instructions. The junction box will be larger than light fixture so I'd prefer to not have to use one. Further, since the splices are still in the light fixture, the junction box adds no real safety in my opinion besides some extra measure of safe area that the Romex could be tugged into and protect surrounding areas from shorts/fires. Thoughts?

The electrical connections in the box the Cable protected with the plastic clamp sounds like you have it covered no box is needed when the fixture has one.

I think I understand what you're doing, and correct me if I'm wrong:

You have a 120V NM wire that is switched.
You need to put it into a junction box to make a connection.
The Fluorescent Lights previously had that direct connection inside the fixture, but the LED lights don't.

Yep, welcome to Hell.

You're going to need something like this:
https://www.trcelectronics.com/View/TRC/TRC-E-LPV203560.shtml
(and this place is the cheapest to get it, too).

In order to comply with code you must separate the high and low voltage portions of the circuit. There is a clever little light switch that does it (gladiator carries it) but it's also nearly 200$.

So you wire in your NM high voltage into one side, secure it, wire nut the AC/DC adapter, then attach your LED wiring on the other side.

Code compliant, separated high and low voltage, and mountable up near the top where it's out of sight.

If that isn't the idea you're talking about, I apologize.


Replacing ungrounded receptacle with grounded receptacle on metal box Bought a house built in 1928 (in Chicago area - everything original to the house is in metal boxes with armoured (BX) cable. Any newer work has EMT). All the wiring is the cloth wrapped wires and no ground wires. All receptacles are 2 prong. Inspector said you can find the first outlet in the circuit, put a GFCI on it, and then not worry about ground on anything else in the circuit. A multimeter says I have a strong 120 V from a hot wire to the box, so common sense tells me I can just skip the GFCI and put in a 3-prong outlet. I wouldn't even need a pigtail jumper ground because the green screw has continuity with the 10-32 screw and ears of the receptacle anyway, right? Am I missing anything?

I wouldn't even need a pigtail jumper ground because the green screw has continuity with the 10-32 screw and ears of the receptacle anyway, right? Am I missing anything?

Since they used metal raceways you could do it this way only if the receptacles are of the "self-grounding" type. They are more expensive and have a metal clip on one end of the mounting yoke. Or, if your boxes are surface mount and you remove one of the plastic screw keepers. See (A) below.

Chicago has their own Electrical Code but I would be surprised if it is any more lenient than the National Electrical Code. They are usually more strict. The NEC allows self grounding receptacles to be used for grounding in this article, attention to (B):

  250.146 Connecting Receptacle Grounding Terminal to Box.
  An equipment bonding jumper shall be used to connect the grounding terminal of a grounding-type receptacle to a grounded box unless grounded as in 250.146(A) through (D). The equipment bonding jumper shall be sized in accordance with Table 250.122 based on the rating of the overcurrent device protecting the circuit conductors.

  (A) Surface-Mounted Box. Where the box is mounted on the surface, direct metal-to-metal contact between the device yoke and the box or a contact yoke or device that complies with 250.146(B) shall be permitted to ground the receptacle to the box. At least one of the insulating washers shall be removed from receptacles that do not have a contact yoke or device that complies with 250.146(B) to ensure direct metal-to-metal contact. This provision shall not apply to cover-mounted receptacles unless the box and cover combination are listed as providing satisfactory ground continuity between the box and the receptacle. A listed exposed work cover shall be permitted to be the grounding and bonding means when (1) the device is attached to
  the cover with at least two fasteners that are permanent (such as a rivet) or have a thread locking or screw or nut locking means and (2) when the cover mounting holes are located on a  at non-raised portion of the cover.

  (B) Contact Devices or Yokes. Contact devices or yokes designed and listed as self-grounding shall be permitted in conjunction with the supporting screws to establish equipment bonding between the device yoke and  flush-type boxes.

  (C) Floor Boxes.......

  (D) Isolated Ground Receptacles......

Check with your inspector to see if you are under the Chicago Electrical Code and if it allows this.

Although this may sound good and show up on a meter is a good quality ground, all is not well.  The circular design of the BX jacket presents some particularly sticky circumstances when it is trying to clear a fault. On longer runs and runs that may not be clamped as tightly today as they once were, the jacket acts like a coil and creates a resistive field.  If the fault is not cleared in a short period of time the jacket can actually get hot and under worse case scenario start to glow like a resistive element.  Can anyone say 911.


How can I remove brown coloring/stains from logs? The outer walls in a log cabin are solid logs.  I had a slight leakage problem through fittings between some of them which left brown stains on the logs.  The leakage problem is long gone but the stains remain.  Any idea how I can remove them?  If I paint over them would the stains eventually seep through?

Had a similar problem with building a 10" round log home, some of the logs got wet. We tried everything including sandblasting to remove it.

The only solution we found was 40 grit sandpaper on a random orbital sander to really rough it up and remove 1/16" to 1/32" of wood before we switched to 120 and 200 grit to smooth it back out. Matching the stain might be tough though.

Take a clean paintbrush, some water and get the wall wet again. The sooner you do that, the easier it will be to get rid of these stains.


How can I fill small holes in drywall without painting? I am taking down several items hung on our walls; this will leave about two dozen holes ranging from small nail holes to anchor holes about 3/8" in diameter. I am looking for a way to fill these holes that will look reasonable without painting – we have no matching paint, the walls have other imperfections, and the space is destined for a full paint job sometime in the not too distant future anyway.

It's a finished living space and the walls are drywall painted off-white. The point is to avoid attention-grabbing holes and have a finish and color match that's reasonable but by no means perfect (i.e., if it's noticeable from a foot or two away, that's fine, but noticeable from across the room is bad).

For small holes like you describe, I'd use Light Weight Spackle rather than standard vinyl Spackle. The Light Weight Spackle is very easy to apply, will almost disappear in small pin holes, and you can smooth it off with a damp cloth apx 15 minutes after application. using a damp cloth also removes excess Spackle from surrounding paint so the only patch material is in the hole, not on the surrounding paint.  You can get small sample size containers of paint at HD or Lowes for a couple of bucks. Pick a close color from the cards and touch up your fixes without having to buy a gallon of paint.

Home depot has Dap nail hole repair for $4.97


PVC lubricant for pipe and fittings What kind of lubricant can I use on PVC pipe and fittings so that I can assemble and disassemble easily.  This is a stage made of PVC pipe that must be assembled and disassembled repeatedly.

Plumber's silicone grease.

Silicone Faucet Grease helps reduce friction and provides long-lasting lubrication. The grease is water resilient and oxidation resistant.  Resistant to most harsh chemicals
Retains its consistency in temperatures from 40 to 400 F.

I've been asking the same question for three days. The flexible coupling to join the two ABS section together is too tight to move it down and it stuck couldn't move it up fit into the other ABS pipe. I am searching for answer and came up with the answer for you and me.
Try hand cream lotion like vaseline. I think, it's safe bet it won't damage the pipe. I don't like the soap solution, the bubbles, and air trap thing just don't feel right to me.


Latex paint peeling off oil based paint. How do I apply a new layer of paint? As I understand it, a few years ago, latex paint was applied on top of oil based paint.

The top layer of paint is now peeling off. Would like to apply a new coat of latex paint, but I'm unsure how to proceed.

Do I need to sand?
Should I apply a primer?
Some other process?

Thanks!

Painting over a glossy oil paint is indeed different than painting over an oil primer. I just came from a customers's home where the seller did the former - you can literally pull sheets of the paint off the trim. Maybe there are better latex paints that tend to adhere more strongly and you can get away with putting them over oil, but I'd never do it.

Don't take the chance. Either stick with oil-based paint on trim that already has it, or sand and prime first before switching to latex.

I'm actually painting a job now that was latex over oil one year ago and is already peeling like mad.  I am applying Stop Peel by Zinzer and over that, a hybrid paint (latex/oil) by Glidden.

This topcoat dries more like oil (hard finish), but doesn't yellow like oil. The good news is that it also cleans up with soap and water. The paint of the future when oil is no more!  Most paint stores carry the hybrid type now, but Glidden's is less expensive.


How to run ground, for electric supplied by generator and batteries through a inverter I have a panel that is powered from the generator, it runs my major appliances. One of the circuits feeds my inverter/charger , which charges my batteries. A 2nd. panel receives power from the batteries, through the inverter, and powers rest of house at 110 volt.   Should I keep all grounds on their own bars?.(separate from neutral) Connect ground bars from one box to other?, and run wire to ground rod outside?.           I have a Trace 2.5 KW impulse correction FET power inverter, Model 2524. I use a Honda 2000 Inverter generator, or Black Max 3000 standard generator. Plug in connection runs to panel.                       The neutral feeds the neutral bar in the appliance panel, positive feeds the breakers, and ground feeds a ground bar. The neutral and ground are not bonded. Wire from neutral bar feeds input on charger/inverter. Positive from one of the breakers feeds the positive input, and ground from the ground feeds the inverter safety ground. Next the inverter feeds another panel. Positive from output on the inverter feeds the breakers on my other panel, a neutral feeds a neutral bar, a ground comes from the safety ground on the inverter, and feeds a ground bar. In this box the neutral bar and ground bar are bonded through a screw in the neutral bar. This panel runs my lights, TV, pump, etc..

You are the electric utility -- thrice over!

Your configuration, with a generator and an inverter/charger, requires special care as you have not one, not two, but three electrical systems, all isolated from each other and completely off the mains electrical grid.  This is outside the norm for a residence, and requires careful application of the NEC rules for separately derived systems starting in 250.30.

Start with the easy stuff first

The easy part of this all is making sure that all the panelboard (aka load center/electrical panel) cabinets, the inverter's safety earth terminal, and the generator frame are all solidly connected together.  This makes sure you have an effective fault-current path everywhere it's needed as per 250.4(A)(5) and 250.92.  These conductors can be sized as per 250.122 in your case due to 250.102(D) and this rule from 250.32(A)(2):

  A supply-side bonding jumper shall not be required to be
  larger than the derived ungrounded conductors.

Getting down to earth (ground)

You'll need a grounding electrode, of course.  This defaults to the metal-cold-water-pipe electrode (or structural steel, but you don't have that) in 250.30(A)(4), but I'd put another 250.52(A)-compliant one in to protect against plumber-induced losses of grounding, as they can leave your system completely floating which is a problem if lightning strikes nearby.

Since you have multiple separately derived systems, though, this is where things get hairball.  You'll either need to:

Run completely separate grounding electrode conductors from the generator grounding electrode attach point and inverter AC output bonding point to each of your grounding electrode(s).  This is straightforwardly permitted by 250.30(A)(6), but can lead to a proverbial spaghetti bowl of grounding electrode conductors, a minimum of four in your case, all of which must be at least as large as required by 250.66.
Or, run a single grounding electrode bus conductor between all the grounding electrodes and then tap it with 250.66-compliant conductors to feed the various grounding electrode attach points.  This bus conductor must be enormous though, as 250.30(A)(6)(a) requires it to be a minimum of 3/0 copper or 250kcmil aluminum.  That's the same size as a 200A service conductor!

In any case, you'll need to use listed grounding clamps or exothermic welds to make all grounding electrode and grounding electrode bus connections.

Bonding it all together

You'll now need to make sure that your supply bonds are in the correct places, and nothing's cross-wired between your grounds and your neutrals.  This means that you will need to practice good ground bar discipline -- both of your panels must have separate ground and neutral bars, with all the neutrals going to the neutral bar and all the grounds going to the ground bar.  Typical residential-sparky-in-a-hurry slobbering of everything onto one bar will not fly here!

First, the generator in your case is supplying the ground-to-neutral bond for its part of the system.  This means that you must pull the service bond out of the panel for the generator-powered stuff, wherever it might be (on a modern panel, it'll be a green screw in the neutral bar).  You will also need to install a ground bar kit into the panel if one is not present already and transfer all the ground wires to the new ground bar.

Second, thankfully, since you are dealing with a 24V DC system that is derived from a grounded AC system by a rectifier (battery charger), you don't need to bond the DC system to ground (as per 250.162(A) including Exception 2).  I would make sure that any metallic, non-current-carrying parts that may short to the DC system, such as metal battery racks, are bonded to the generator (inverter/charger AC input) system ground, though.

Finally, since your inverter's AC output is floating, you'll need to bond it to ground somewhere as per 250.20(B) point 1.  This can either be at the inverter with a jumper from the inverter output to both the inverter safety ground terminal and the grounding electrode conductors for the inverter system, or at the panelboard using the green screw or link (i.e. configuring the inverter-circuits panelboard as service equipment) as well as terminating the grounding electrode conductors onto the panelboard ground bar instead of the inverter bonding jumper.

In my case, I connect earth grounds all together between the house and the inverter.  In your case, I presume that you have the generator grounded as well?

Be sure to use an outlet tester (the kind with 3 LEDs) to check that you have done it correctly.


Why isn't my dishwasher cleaning as well as it used to? My dishwasher no longer cleans dishes as well as it did 5 years ago. Some info:

It is 10 years old, a low-end Frigidaire
we have hard water here (and no water softener)
I have cleaned the food trap at the bottom which helped

Any suggestions?

Some detergents will build up over time, gumming up the works. Try changing to a different kind.

Try vinegar. Pour some in to the dishwasher and run a "rinse and hold" cycle. It can clean out scaling from hard water, and detergent goops.

Check that the basin is filling up properly. I read that it's supposed to be just below the heating coil.

Check the water temperature. Let the machine run to fill the basin, then measure. If your hot water pipes are not insulated, insulate them. You can run the kitchen faucet for a minute to bring hot water closer, but it doesn't help much. Consider turning up the water temperature at the water heater. I did this and my dishes came out much cleaner.

It's the fact that the government regulated the use to Tri-sodium phosphate.  It's no longer in your dish-washing detergent.  You can still get the commercial products that contain phosphates.  Phosphates were causing algae blooms (because they are just yummy food for any photosynthesis plant) in areas that don't have water treatment plants (ie. septic systems).  You can also make your own TSP detergent by doing a little research on the internet.  Watch out that you don't buy TSP from the hardware store.  Make sure it's NOT the phosphate free kind.  It's used in the paint section as it's a wonderful cleaning agent.

I've purchased a bunch of TSP detergent and my dishes are once again clean.


How to best fill in rat holes outside? We have a rental in a neighborhood with a serious rat problem.  Per the county, we can only hope to battle and contain the issue.

To that end, we've been paying for rat poison services for a while, but the county requires us to fill the holes, so that we can determine if the rats have been pushed back or are still active in the yard.

What is the best way to fill rat holes?  I have been going back and forth between pouring dry concrete mix down the hole followed by some top soil and allowing natural water fall to fill it, or by pouring down dry cement followed by water, or by mixing cement first and pouring it down.

Clarification: I haven't done any of the above yet - when I say I've been going back and forth, I mean in my head, thinking about it.

My concern with the last bit is - if I pour wet cement down the hole, won't it keep on flowing down the hole, requiring much more cement than if I use dry mix which can pile up and block the hole, which then when it gets wet will cure in place?

Personally I would just fill the holes with dirt, why does it need to be more complicated than that? Concrete isn't going to stop them any more than dirt, since presumably the yard is mostly dirt anyway.

The County's right & I think you're more right in planning a dry cement topped off with a little water to get the hardening started before capping with dirt.

However, I'd suggest pouring a box of D-con (for example), even mix it up with some peanut butter or something that makes it attractive & won't go rancid or lose it's appeal, down the holes first either before the cement or instead of it.

If the Rats are still around they'll use the holes as long as they're there. But, with the rat poison deposit in each hole you're more likely to collapse  or eliminate the population that still might exist, at least around you.


Can an electrical junction box be closed and covered if not needed? Can an octagon fixture box that was also found to be a junction box, be closed and covered over in the ceiling after remodeling. Box not needed.

Absolutely not. Any box containing splices or live wires, even if it's not being used, must remain accessible.

Listen to the first answer it is never permissible to cover(hide) a junction box behind anything. God Bless Big Jim


How to distribute power better across two breaker panels Symptom: Lights dim when appliances or laserjet printer kick in while HVAC and clothes dryer running.

I currently have a 400 Amp service split into 2 panels each with a 200A main breaker. I'm all electric, no gas. House built in '96, one floor. Main feed comes in garage.

On one panel, I have 350A combined breakers (15A is not used, attic fan removed) and the other side 245A combined breakers (60A not used, was added for a jacuzzi that previous owners never put in).

I already had an electrician come to the house to loosen and tighten all the connections on the panel.

My thought is, I don't have proper distribution of power across the panels. However, I'm not an electrician, so I don't know for sure. But by looking at both panels, it seems the one side may be demanding a lot and not very well balanced.

I then noticed the office which has the laserjet printer is tied to the lighting in the living room and hallway. So I can see how the printer could be dimming those lights. However, the kitchen appliances are on a separate breaker which also cause the lights to dim.

I plan on running a dedicated line for the printer and office computer on the panel that consumes less power hoping this would fix it. However, I want to hear some other thoughts and possible solutions to this.

You did the right thing first tightening the connections, next would be to use an AMP clamp meter to verify the loads connected to L1, L2 and make sure they are ballanced, if unballanced as stated above some breakers need to be moved untill they are ballanced. if they are ballanced it may be your main breaker has a weak hammer on 1 leg causing some internal arcing and the voltage drop. I had to replace a square D panel several years ago as I could not get a new main breaker from square D

I agree with everything that's been offered already. But, there are a few other things to consider. 1st, is the most up-front expensive & would require new service panels. Price & consider upgrading to a 3-phase service as this will not only provide a 3rd "Leg" in each panel to split the loads, but also may be offered at a significantly discounted rate by your utility company.

2nd & 3rd is your contribution to the remedy by greatly assisting your Electrician to the extent that you can. 2nd is to get 20 or 30 of the cheapest Night Lights you can ($1 or $2 each) to use for mapping your electrical system. Night Lights like, this, this & this would be plugged into your outlets & you turn on all ceiling & wall lights to then turn off a Circuit Breaker & detail what outlets or room lights are turned off. Also, check lighted appliances like refrigerator, dishwasher panel, microwave , washer, dryer, kitchen exhaust vent lights & oven.

Once the mapping is done & fully detailed on your computer or a couple pieces of paper. You'll want to print them out for each service panel & tape them to the inside of the service panels' doors. 3rd is to get a Kill-A-Watt meter to record & document (computer or paper again) large energy appliances start-up & running wattages.

4th is to either yourself (preferably for sake of cost) or have your Electrician verify that your outlets are properly rated to the circuit & circuit breaker & that all connections are fully seated & securely tightened. A cheap builder's-grade 15-amp outlet can cause dimming & flickering when it's capacity is approached due to its low quality. All of the above will let the Electrician competently distribute the load for no or very rare dimming or flickering events in the future.


Can I install a security system myself? I just bought a new home and it had been professionally pre-wired for a security system. There are cables for sensors on all entry doors. There are some cables for motion detectors as well on the main floor. There is also a cable for the control panel near the main entrance. All the cables go to the basement and are not connected to anything at the moment.

I checked one of the cables and it looks like there are four wires - red, black, yellow, and blue - inside.

Is this something I can make one of my DIY projects? If so, any recommendations on wired security systems compatible with this setup?

This is actually relatively easy - many hobby shops (eg Maplin in the UK) have kits which require very little technical know-how.

I guess the pre-requisites are:

Understanding your perimeter -

use break sensors on the highest risk areas (doors and easily accessible windows)
use motion sensors in key hallways
do you include your garage
do you include external sensors
do you want to trigger a camera or similar

Control requirements -

where will your control panel need to be?
should it have a panic alarm

Compatibility requirements -

break sensors may be passive, or may be powered. If powered, what voltage is required
usually easiest to go with one brand throughout

Check out safemart. It's a do it yourself home security service, with inexpensive monthly rates.


How can I pour a concrete floor over a particle board subfloor? I want to pour concrete over the particle board subfloor in my living room. I like the look of stained concrete. We have a crawl space underneath. What product do I use? How thick so it won't crack? Rebar, framing (or whatever that mesh is called) or no? Any info you got would be appreciated.

Frankly, Stacey, the thought of a concrete-over-wood floor frightens me badly. IF you can determine that your existing framing can carry that much additional "dead load", then definitely rebar and remesh (the mesh) well or it'll crack. You should know that the floor will want at LEAST 2" of thickness, which means each square foot of flooring will weigh at least 25 pounds, so the floor for a 12'x12' room would weigh a total of 3600 pounds (nearly two tons).

Talk with your local concrete companies - they may be able to mix a batch of lightweight concrete for your purposes - if you're dead-set on this. It WOULDN'T hurt to employ an engineer to verify that your structure will tolerate that much extra loading, though.

You do know that the concrete floor will be very cold underfoot, right?

EDIT: ...and that it'll always generate "concrete dust"?

You could but will have to add wire. I would pour a self-leveling underlayment using the highest point of the floor as your benchmark


How much energy will continuously running a furnace fan use? We have a bi-level (tri-level? There's a small entry way and utility room, then an upstairs living area and master bedroom and a downstairs living area with bedrooms) in mid-Michigan.

The downstairs is naturally quite cooler than the upstairs, but during the summer we were having keeping the downstairs warm enough for our young son.  We didn't want to raise the temp upstairs anymore but our local HVAC person suggested running the system fan continuously to help evenly distribute the air.  And it worked.  He did say that it shouldn't increase our costs that much and searching online seemed to come to the same conclusion.  Our electric bill did end up higher than previous years but I chalked that up to higher-than-average weather temps, we were keeping things a little cooler than we had in the past due to our child, and summer electricity rates were in effect.

Now that we're getting into Winter, we just received our latest bill and it's again abnormally high.  We did cut the fan usage some the billing period prior, so I'm sure it's because we're always running it still.

How much electricity usage should I really expect to see if I'm continuously running the furnace fan?  Enough to see a sizeable jump in cost?

And is there a way to track how much power usage my unit is using?  Do I need a killawatt or something plugged in?  I'm trying to find the model number on it to see if I can find the electric specs and maybe do some calculations there.  Our thermostat does tell me how often the heat or AC runs, but the heat is gas so that shouldn't affect it much anyway.

Any other suggestions or things I should try or look for?  Thanks,

Where to find the specifications
Listed on the furnace
Somewhere inside the service panel of the furnace, there should be a schematic for the furnace.  This may list the electrical specifications of the blower motor.  If not, the blower motor itself will have a label on it.  It should list the voltage, amperage, horsepower, etc.
Using an Ammeter
An ammeter is used to measure the amount of current flowing through an electrical circuit. You can use a clamp on ammeter to measure the amount of current being used by the blower motor while it's running.

Simply set the meter to measure current (A in the pictured meter), and clamp it on the hot wire feeding the motor.
This method may require working on or near live wires, please use caution and/or consult an expert to take the readings
Calculate Usage
With the above information and Ohm's law, it's easy to determine how much power the motor will use over a given time period.
Ohm's law says that Power (P) = Voltage (V) x Current (I), so we can determine how much power the motor uses at a single instant in time.
ex.
P = 115V * 5.2A
P = 598 Watts

Next we have to determine how many kilowatt hours the motor will use, which we do by dividing by 1000.
P = 598 W / 1000
P = 0.598 kWh

So for every hour the motor runs, it will use 0.943 kilowatts of power.
Total power/day = 0.598kWh * 24h
Total power/day = 14.352kWh
Total power/month = 14.352Kwh * 30
Total power/month = 430.56kWh

Finally, if you multiply this number by the amount you pay per kilowatt hour. You'll see just about how much it costs to run the motor constantly.
Cost = 430.56kWh * $0.07
Cost = $30.14 per month

Notes:
Results using this process will be an estimate only.
Values used are not actual values, they are example values only.
Calculations may be incorrect, nobody checked my math.

A single phase motor has a power factor. The formula for power of a single phase motor is
voltage time current times power Cosine of the power factor. The power factor for a motor is determined by the manufacturer but I do not know what a typical power factor is for a single phase blower motor. If you can find this out and measure the voltage and the current its easy to figure power consumption.
Just multiply the power times the current times the cos PF and that gives wattage.
Then convert to kilowatt hours.
Ie.......a 100 watt light bulb on for ten hours uses a kilowatt of electrical power.
Then multiply the kW hours by your utility rate.


Much higher energy use, maybe due to an old electrical heater? We had an 100% increase of power consumption last and this year.

It is mostly the night-tariff, which we now consume 27'000 kWh
The day-tariff is only around 2'500 kWh.

First we thought this may be due to our new computers, but then the day tariff would need to be high too.

So the only reason could be the electrical heater and water boiler.
Both of which are the same for at least the last 10 years, so it kinda doesn't make sense that it went up so much.

So my thought was, could it be that this year for example one rod in the electrical heater corroded which lead to higher resistance => More power draw?

Or do you have any other explanation?

Thanks!

So my thought was, could it be that this year for example one rod in the electrical heater corroded which lead to higher restistance => More power draw?

No. Higher resistance will reduce current draw. Thought experiment: disconnect the heater completely to create infinite resistance. Will the power consumed increase or decrease?

It's time for an energy audit. You can start by finding your energy meter and taking hourly readings or time how long it takes for the meter in increment by one or ten units. If these are consistent then you can switch off each circuit in turn and measure the change in timing.

Alternately you can get a power analyser with voltage and current probes and take measurements and log data for each load.

It is a very common occurrence that an old water heater will consume higher energy for a number of possible reasons. A heating element's ceramic coating may be bad, resulting in energy going to ground (earth) inside of the water heater instead of producing heat. The Temperature / Pressure (T/P) relief valve may be leaking, so hot water is just going down the drain without you knowing about it. The heater may be full of sediment so the elements may be essentially insulated from the water, making then highly inefficient so that they end up being on LONGER than necessary to make the same amount of hot water. In that case a reading taken at any given moment would not look unusual, because it's about the length of TIME that they are energized that is showing up as an energy increase.


What is causing a whistling sound coming from my upstairs bathroom? My upstairs shower is causing a high-pitched whistling sound when it's running and there is a showerhead attached. If I remove the showerhead, but keep the water flowing, the whistling noise stops. It might have something to do with the faucet handles, but I'm not sure. This has happened with different types of showerheads. Also, when the shower is running and I turn the sink on and off (which is next to the shower), the whistling noise will change pitch.

Any ideas?

Water pressure:
This could be caused by higher than normal water pressure, that's why the noise changes when you turn on the sink (you reduce the flow to the shower).
Solution:
You could adjust the Pressure Reducing Valve   for the whole house (if you have one), or install one on the line to the shower.

Reducing Washer:
In most newer shower heads, there is a washer that reduces the water flow to save water.
Solution:
Removing this washer and replacing it with a normal one should fix the problem (but then you'll be "wasting" water).

Diverter:
This might also be caused by the diverter (the mechanism that diverts the water to the shower head, rather than the tub spout), if the valve is not functioning properly it could cause noise as the water passes through it. This may be accompanied by a small amount of water still flowing from the tub spout when the shower is on (basically it could be creating a "water whistle", similar to how a flute works but with water instead of air).
Solution:
Replace the diverter.

Loose Pipes:
The noise could be increased by improperly secured plumbing, as the pipes are allowed to resonate freely.
Solution:
Properly fastening the pipes using clamps, may reduce the sound.

The high pitched squeal is coming from the diverter valve inside the tub spout. A new one is about $12 at home depot. There are a couple of types of spouts so take off the old one first and see which kind of pipe it fits on.


Old house odor in a condo Condo is in Florida. The building is 32 years old. 8 Units in a 2story building. Mine is on the 2nd floor. Brand new HVAC system including ducts-2018.

Attic insulation was fine according to a home inspector in 2018, but some "bare" spots were remediated in 2019 through weatherization assistance program. Humidity is maintained 50-60. Temp is set 74-77F.

No leaks, no visible mold anywhere. Walls are clean and painted in 2017 before selling. No old furniture. No carpet. Large windows, plenty of day light. Mix of cathedral ceiling and normal ceiling in bedrooms. Washer and Dryer are on Lanai (outside). No pets.

I live there year around. I am very sensitive to odors. When I walk in from outside, the old house odor is clearly felt. It is not very strong, but I sense it.

Any ideas on where it may be coming from?

If you can not find the source of the odor or want a temporary/permanent fix try using a charcoal filter in the cold air return of the furnace. I use a filter from Home Depot or Lowes called a "web absorber" model#FPR-5 at about $12.00. It is a 20"X25" cut to size filter that I used to replace the pre-filter in my electronic air cleaner. My wife is like you in that she can smell a "flies fart" at 10 miles. I have been using them for about 15 years and she is happy and so am I .

You note the power of your nose in the original question and in at least one of the comments so you are going to smell even the smallest issue. And Florida is very humid allowing for the mold and mildew to grow. I believe that the smell is mildew (this from my childhood spending time with my Grandmother in Stuart). One way to deal with it is to reduce the humidity which it needs to flourish. I suggest getting a dedicated dehumidifier and reduce the humidity down at least to 65 if not 50 or lower. I use one here in Seattle, it's a must have for me or there will be similar issues.


Should I remove baseboards prior to installing laminate or wood floors? I recently bought around 650sft of laminate floors, to replace around 570sft of carpeted floors in our MN home. These will go in on the main floor, right above an unfinished basement.

I'm planning on installing these myself in the next 3 or 4 weeks, and am in the process of getting my act together (I strongly believe that planning is more critical than the actual execution of a project).

Being paranoid about doing an excellent job, I'm debating whether to remove and re-install the existing baseboard molding, or leave the baseboard in place and install quarter-round (or shoe, depending on what looks better) molding after the laminate is laid.

The laminate floor (with its attached pad) is about as tall as the carpet is now, and adjusting for an 1/8" gap in the vertical dimension, the baseboard will stay at the same height.

So, which is better?

Don't touch the baseboard, install laminate 1/4" from the baseboard and use quarter-round to cover the gap?
Remove baseboard, install laminate, and put the baseboard back.

I'm not averse to doing extra work to make sure this looks as professional as possible.

It depends on a couple of things.  How much time you want to invest, how your current baseboards are installed, size of current baseboards, and what you want everything to look like.

As long as it isn't a HUGE deal to take baseboards out I would almost always go with removing them.

Your finish will look better.  No quarter round looks way more professional.  Also I hate the process of do you make your quarter round the color of trim or floor - I always vote trim.
It is cheaper.  Quarter round costs money.  So does staining/painting it.
It saves time.  If you have the right tools taking your baseboards out is easy.  And when you put them back - well they fit.  Try to position your tools so that if you gouge the wall it is hidden under the baseboard.  This is easy with practice.  Who cares if the drywall has some nicks under the baseboard.  Cutting your quarter round to fit will take a lot of time.  Also what do you do between a set of doors where you need to put in 10 inches of quarter round?  Well you will be back on this board asking!

Take the baseboards out, freshen them up while you are at it, install floor, pop baseboards back.  Touch up paint and caulk where needed.   Not taking them out starts the job faster but then after your install there will be quarter round regret (because of point #1).

Easy way, Best results:

Remove carpet, pad and nailing strips.
Vacuum.
Measure thickness of new flooring with underlayment, and add 1/16 inch.
Take your biscuit joiner, and remove the adjustable front shoe. Extend the blade and tie it back using a tie wrap.
Measure the distance from the base plate to the TOP edge of the cutter. Subtract this from the (flooring + underlayment + 1/16") dimension. This is the thickness of the wooden spacer that must be attached to the base plate (use existing holes).
Now starting to the left on a wall, place the biscuit joiner on the sub floor, start and plunge all he way to the fence.
-Move the joiner to the right the complete length of wall. For external corners, go right around. For internal corners, you'll need a sharp chisel.
You will end up with 7/16" (the thickness of the baseboard)  PLUS 1/2"(the thickness of the sheetrock) for clearance for floor expansion.
Slide the new flooring under the baseboard by 1/8".

Enjoy your professional results.


Is 8/3 stranded wire ok to power a 100amp subpanel? I have an old 220 (8/3 stranded with grnd) line off the main box from a stove that I don't use anymore (we have gas now). I want to use it to install a subpanel in my attic. The subpanel is 100amp, 6 space (12 circuit, main lug, indoor). The old stove line is coming off a 40amp double pole breaker in the main box. The main box is 200 amp. I have an existing 3" PVC tube up to the attic which is 30' away (coaxial, romex). The attic has vaulted ceilings well over 6.5' and is currently temp controlled. I plan to run an additional floor AC unit (900 watt, 8amp) and 3 - 1000watt tank heaters. I want to make any changes to what is above mentioned to make sure I don't burn up. Help!

Ideally, the plan is to have 5 - 15a circuits (3 in use regularly, 1000watt heaters) and 1 - 20a circuit (AC 900watt, 8amp. As needed for backup to main system) at the subpanel. The other 2 circuits not mentioned would be used for small electronics. How many watts is each circuit capable of handling?

Edit -  Would using two smaller amp breakers in place of the 40 amp double pole reduce EVERYTHING in question, and enable me to use romex in the same tube with the rest? I would also switch to 1- 1000watt heater and 3- 300watt MAX. If so, would I not need the panel?

Take that subpanel back

I know the panel is marketed as "12 circuit (6 space)".  This is bold-faced lying. This claim depends on using "double-stuff" breakers (2 breakers in 1 space) which cannot support GFCI or AFCI, required in almost every circuit today. Who cares, though?  I need 6, I have 6. True, that's fine for today.  But look how quickly you came up with this idea.  Tomorrow you could come up with another idea that needs some more spaces.  As R.M.E. discusses, you are electrically undersubscribed (especially if you go 300W for the heaters).  Or you could later upsize the supply wire.

Swapping a panel is a nightmare job, and you pay for the panel twice.  The right time to upsize the panel is when you buy the first one.   I for one like to finish a job such 60% of the spaces are still unused.  So here, a 16 or 18 space panel would be my minimum.   Also, larger panels come with free "starter" breakers - and if a panel is $35 extra but comes with a $40 AFCI breaker, that's a win. Another win is when a panel comes with the mandatory ground bar(s) instead of chiseling you for another $8 for it.

Subpanel requirements

I smell the influence of big-box stores here.  Buy cable staples there.  Complex things like this, go straight to a proper electrical supply house. Their staff gives good advice, most are competitive on price, and they stock a wide variety so they are able to sell you exactly the right thing.

The panel must have a separate neutral and ground bar.  The neutral bar will be tied to ground/chassis, and you'll need to remove that tie.

The panel needs to be at least 40A obviously; larger is fine.  A 200A panel can handle 40A.  Since you're in the same building, main-lug is fine, main breaker is also OK, and the main breaker size doesn't matter. (>=40A obviously).

AFCI/GFCI

Attics are ambiguous so you'll need to have a conversation with your AHJ (that's Authority Having Jurisdiction, or your local electrical inspector) about whether you need AFCI, GFCI or both on these receptacles.  Since I doubt you're gingerly stepping on open joists at peril of putting your foot through the ceiling drywall, I rather expect this attic is at least partially finished.  If it's finished enough to be livable space, then it definitely needs AFCI and that needs to be in the panel (or right next to it in an awkward deadfront configuration) since AFCI's main job is protect the wiring after the panel, and as such, stop house fires.

Given the presence of water and a heater immersed in water, GFCI also seems like a pretty good idea, but that can happen at the receptacle.

Cable

The 8/3 cable (also with ground, meaning 4 wires in total) will suffice for 40A, the breaker you already have there.  If you need to extend the cable, remember you must make splices inside a junction box!  And the junction box cover must remain accessible without tools (pulling an oven out is OK).

Also beware the building codes: Some Codes require that you provision a 40A service to the oven location even if you aren't using it right now.  You are still OK if it is legal for you to remove the subpanel and its extra circuits and doing so won't violate any other building or electrical codes (e.g. location of receptacles).

That "conduit"

You're not using it as conduit.  You're using it as a protective shield to protect the cable from damage. That means you do not need to foll the rules of the "conduit wiring method", but do need to follow the rules of the "non-metallic cable wiring method".

You simply cannot have data cables running with power cable. You also can't have low voltage (thermostat, doorbell) cables run with power cables.  If you are installing raceway and anticipate sending both power and data up it, install 2 raceways at least 4" apart.

Since you're in split-phase 120V/240V power, this is simple: generally you can't have more than 4 circuits running together without having to painfully derate their capacity. Exactly 4 circuits is OK if wire size is #8 or smaller.  For larger wire, you have to get out the sharp pencil and  run the numbers.  (The derate rules actually apply to 2 circuits or more, but that's only an issue for heavy feeder.)

Subscribing your power

First, what you have (4-wire, 40A) is 240V x 40A = 9600 VA of available service.  If you are using 120V, you have two 120V "legs" of 40A each, or 4800 VA per leg. Do everything you can to balance the circuit, overloading 1 leg will cause both legs to trip down at the main panel.  Re-read my answer on "double-stuff" breakers above for how poles are laid out inside panels, for more info on balancing.

A "continuous load" (potentially on for 3 hours or more) must be derated by 125% (i.e. a 1000W load counts as 1250W).  Only you know your setup, but I assume if a 1000W tank heater ran at full power for 3 hours solid, you'd have fish soup.  So I'm not derating those, correct this if I'm wrong.  For a resistive heater, watts = VA.

A/C: 8A x 120V = 960VA x 125% = 1200VA
Heaters: 1000W = 1000VA ..... x3 = 3000VA (on at the same time after a power outage; otherwise intermittent). Now if the heaters are continuous loads, they count as 1250VA each.

So your installed, known loads take 4200VA (derated) out of 9600VA available, leaving 5400VA for your two receptacle circuits.  You're fine.

In fact, I would pencil in 500VA for each receptacle circuit, and then you're at 54% of circuit capacity.  I'm worried you have too few spaces, because this can support more.

By the way, this sort of "oversubscribing" panels - having 95A of breakers in a panel being supplied with 80A - is totally normal at much higher ratios than this.  Use known loads if you know them, but for the loads you can't know, you pretty much count on not every circuit being used to the max at the same time.

If, indeed, you do not need to derate the tank heaters, you may be able to get away with 2 of them (1000VA each, derated) on a 20A circuit (2400VA).  This could save you some money on AFCI/GFCI.  One tank plus the A/C (1200VA, derated) would total 2200VA and would also fit on a 20A circuit.

Im a little busy today and cant take the time to do all these calculations right now but I saw no one had answered you yet. You can google copper /aluminum amp capacity charts that will tell you right away. Please be careful though. There is a lot of other stuff involved, Like for  instance balancing the load and why that is very important.  Making sure why everything is done to code and why that is important. Calculating total load and demand factors. Installing neutrals correctly, It kind of goes on and on.

I think the main thing is, electrical stuff is so dangerous You have to make sure you dont miss anything or fallow bad advice you or your family or your home could pay dearly. If there is anything you dont know for sure dont do it until you find out from someone you KNOW  is qualified. If you guess at anything or miss anything it could be a bad situation. I dont want to get in trouble right away on this site but How do you know how qualified anyone who answers you really is. Please just be careful safety is so important. I can tell by the type of questions your asking, you might want to get some professional help. lt took me a degree and twenty years for me to learn what I know and because of advances and changes im still studying  things on a constant basis.

If there is ever a problem and insurance companies find out you did this yourself they very well may not pay on the claim. I know this isnt exactly what you were looking for but if I saved one life or dangerous situation today it was worth it. Take caree and please be careful. Respectively Jim


Is it okay to have an ungrounded light fixture? I recently moved into an older home (built in 1968) and have been replacing some of the older light fixtures. We pulled down one of the lights and found that there is a ground running into the box but the light fixture itself doesn't have a ground to hook up to it.

My wife is considering refurbishing the look of the light instead of replacing it... is it okay to use the light even though it's not grounded?

We live with legacy ungrounded fixtures all the time, usually without incident.  As I understand it, grounding is a backup system to give the high potential an easy path to ground (that is, a better path than YOU) if there is a short in the fixture.

Basically, grounding is a connection between the metal body of a fixture to a continuous ground (wire or metal shielding) that returns to the service panel and an earth ground. You could create a ground on a fixture by installing a screw in the metal body of the unit that could then take the ground wire. However, there could be more than one metal component in the fixture needing a ground, so it is by no means a sure fix.

The main issue is the likelihood of a user touching something metal on the fixture that could be accidentally live.  If the fixture is out of reach, the lack of a ground is probably a low risk. If it is a pull chain light, use of a string pull rather than metal is a good idea.

yeah ,don't worry about it . you're way *overthinking it .
 lighting fixtures at normal heigth won't normally be handled while standing on the ground.

been working for years like that without incident fire or electrocution, right ?


Should I cut air space in my basement foam board insulation? I intend to finish a part of my basement following this guideline from Fine Homebuilding and Building Science. In this configuration, the foam board completely contacts the concrete. My conern is that should a small water leakage event occur, such as a washing machine or a water tank leak, the water will have nowhere to go and gradually seep through the foam and eventually lead to the entire floor needing to be replaced.

I've noted some products on the market make a point in having air space in their floor contact area, for example AmDry, DriCore RPlus and ThermalDry. See sample photo below.

I'm thinking it would not be too hard to use a table saw and dado blade to cut channels in the back of the panels. I was thinking I would cut half inch deep, quarter inch wide, on a 4 inch grid.

The down side is that this will decrease the PSI capacity of the foam. I was thinking I might have to increase the thickness of the plywood over the foam. I'm not sure if this effort would even be worth it without the water-proof layer that the commercial products offer - however, I assume anything is better than nothing. I'm not sure if this will weaken the insulation and cause it to crack along all these lines.

I did almost what you propose, but used a commercial dimpled tile mat between the foam and the slab floor.  It worked out great, no issues after 6 years.
That said, the go to place for detailed energy questions like this is Green Building Advisor http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/ (I have no affiliation with them).

I went through this last fall: you do not need air moving with this foam board. I used the pink soft fiberglass and put the moisture barrier outside it... In a month I checked and the insulation wasl all wet. I had it backwards.  So the vapor barrier, which is what you ahve there, needs to be air tight and it does not matter if you have a gap. I'm very sure of this. Good luck


How can I repair damaged door casing? We recently adopted a pup and are still getting to understand his separation anxiety triggers.

Recently, he gouged the door frame pretty severely. I am hoping I can fix this myself, since this is a rental.

Does this look like something that can be repaired by woodfiller/epoxy/bondo. If so, what would you recommend? If not, am I better off looking at replacing the trim?

He did quite a number on it, but luckily the damage is almost entirely to the trim. I'm asking, because most other DIY resources related to this seem to be focused on much more minor damage.

I would just replace the trim. If you were good with an oscillating saw or sharp wood chisel you could cut the molding just above the damaged area at an angle. Remove everything from there down.

When you take out the lower piece try to keep a piece that is undamaged so you can take it with you when you go searching for replacement trim. Hard to tell from the picture just how standard that trim profile is and when you go to the store it will be very handy to have a reference.

Cut and fit the new trim to fit the angle and length to the bottom and then nail in place with small finishing nails. A small amount of spackle can be used to blend the joint if it is not a perfect fit.

You could use drywall mud, over patch it and then sand down to match. 'Hot mud' is stronger but is harder to sand so get it closer to the proper shape before letting it dry.


Can I replace my furnace's high limit switch with a comparable third-party part? I have an older Lennox furnace.  The high limit switch (#60T15,130F) has gone bad.  I haven't been able to find on-line this part number with the exact temp limit specs, and Lennox no longer carries this part either.  Do I have to use this particular limit switch, or can I replace it with something similar?

I have replaced over temp switches in the past because the one that failed was no longer made.
I used a slightly low temp rating as the exact temp was not available. Most over temp switches are manual reset.
This is a safety so if there is something wrong you have to reset it by pressing a small button on the switch.
Don’t replace with an automatic reset because this can damage the fire box and possibly start a fire.

Theres a reason why it trips on safety: to protect you. The reason why they don't sell that part is so they won't be liable if the real reason it tripped was a cracked heat exchanger. Now I bet they'll sell you one of those for $200 or so...


Can I season firewood over the woodstove? I have a woodstove but all my firewood is still green. My friend suggested I dry it out indoors. He said I should put a few fire bricks on top of the stove, then stack green firewood on the bricks, around the single-wall chimney pipe.

Is this a good idea?

Proper seasoning is going to take longer than that. Most experts recommend you buy green firewood in the spring, to let it season in the rack over the summer. A minimum of 6 months' drying time, leaving it exposed to the sun and protected from moisture, is needed to "cure' firewood.

DO NOT burn your green firewood. It will smoke, smoulder and not heat the chimney properly for good draft, so you'll get backdrafts into your home. I had this problem even with seasoned but dampened logs from my rack outside; the wood wouldn't burn properly even with a nice hot bed of coals under it, and we got a lot of smoke coming out the front of the fireplace (and up into the upper story of our house).

I have no experience in wood burning.  However, can one use a stove fan to blow hot air on logs a few feet away.  Perhaps stack in an alternate course crosswise with a lot of air space between logs?  I imagine one could do this and still have the fan blowing towards you but through a stack of logs or alternatively have the fan blow toward you with the logs stacked behind you.  This could be your inside next wood to be burned stack.  A little last minute drying.


How can I open an overfilled drawer? Does anyone have any bright ideas for how to open a drawer that has become jammed shut because it has been filled up too much? I've had a look at the underside and can get at the bottom of the drawers but unscrewing the rails etc. is not an option because I can't get at them. Currently my best plan is to try and remove or cut out the hard board base of the drawer which would then need to be replaced. Any better ideas much appreciated.

Try to slide something flat in that is the width of the drawer. I've used a plastic flexible cutting board for this purpose before. Slide it open that 1/4 inch, and try to get the flat sheet to ride over whatever is jamming the drawer--you may have to nearly close the drawer with the sheet in place to get it up and over.

Then try to pull open the drawer and sheet at the same time, or leaving the sheet in place--whichever works.

I just used the 1/4 inch space I had to fit my hand through to pull a few things out and then I was able to pull the drawer in a jiffy!


How can I fill in the gap between my chain-link fence and its gate We have a couple of gates in our chain-link fence and bunnies and large rodents like to squeeze through them.  I would like to fill the gap somehow so the gates are still usable and look halfway decent. Here are a couple of pics of the gate. The gaps are about 5 inches wide.

If you don't care about how it looks, a piece of plywood or other rigid material mounted to the gate would bridge the gap.  You could attach it to the vertical part of the gate using a variety of types of u-bolts/brackets.

Otherwise the easiest thing is to replace the gate with a wider one. Another alternative is to move the posts to reduce the gap on the existing gate but this requires installing posts and replacing the section of fence.

All but the largest rodents will get through the chain link itself, bunnies & squirrels included - It's a loosing battle.


Connecting an exterior outlet to an interior outlet I'm trying to install an exterior outlet to an interior outlet for power. I took the interior outlet out of its box and noticed 4 wires (excluding the ground) attached to the outlet. 2 of the white wires attached to the neutral side and 2 attached to the hot side. All wires were attached into push holes and not the sides screws.

The top 2 wires I assume are the line wires and the bottom 2 the load wires. My question is once I run the exterior outlet wires to the interior outlet, where do the wires attach and how, by pigtailing? And, where do I pigtail to? The side screws to the interior outlet are still free from any wiring.

The question I would have is the box large enough to have 7 conductors and a device for wire fill calculations. I would turn the power off remove the wires from the back stabs and connect the 2 existing blacks with the new black and a short pig tail to the inside outlet. once that is done I would do the same to the Hot side making sure to keep the polarity correct to the outlet. Tie the ground for the new outlet to the existing grounds. With that done install a GFCI outlet outside with a "in use" or extra duty cover and it would be fine. Make sure to use the same gauge wire to the new outlet (you can use larger but that affects the box fill calculations. With 14 awg wire 18 cu inch box would be needed (if plastic no clamps +2 if it has clamps) for 12 awg wire 20.25 cu inch box would be needed if no clamps (+2.25 for clamps).

First step is to check with a qualified electrician to see if this even allowed under your local building code.

In many jurisdictions it is not permitted to have interior and exterior fixtures on the same circuit.  There are also often requirements to use a GFCI protected circuit (or at the very least, a GFCI protected outlet), especially if the exterior receptacle is in an exposed location.

TL;DR - this is potentially unsafe, get qualified help.


Best/strongest material to build a weatherproof shelf? I will be building a shelf on the outside of the house to hold a 120lb (18,000 BTU) air conditioner. The worrisome constraint is that the two shelf supports have to be 38" apart**. The 24" wide AC will sit in the middle of the 38" span.

I cannot find any information in layman's terms on how to know if the shelf will support the weight using various composite materials for the shelf. Does anyone have a suggestion for what to use, thickness, etc? I would like to use something that does not need painting.

** the reason for the wide span is the AC will be in the top pane of a double-hung window. The bottom pane still needs to be usable via its tilt-in ability, without obstruction from the shelf supports. The shelf will be right at the top of the bottom pane.

Galvanized steel Unistrut channel would work, you just have to be creative with which connectors you need. It's available at most big box home improvement store, usually in the electrical section.

Unistrut fitting examples

A couple ideas come to mind...

Two-by lumber wrapped in metal or vinyl
Aluminum box tubing or U-channel (2x2 or larger) resting on the support brackets with synthetic decking spanning the other direction
Synthetic decking resting on the support brackets with floating Aluminum angle extrusion bolted to the underside between the brackets