Can I drill diagonally through the top of my beam? Remodeling our kitchen (and putting it on YouTube so want to make sure I'm right). I need to run 2 new circuits in our kitchen on a half wall so I can't run them down. Basement is open but the bottom plate of the half wall is resting on a beam that is supported by steel posts. Beam is 2 ply 2x10's.
Currently there is a wire going diagonally up through the beam into the half wall. I wanted to make sure that was to code before copying that twice. I have a permit and it will be inspected so want to make sure I won't be re-running this later.
Is drilling diagonally through a 2 ply beam acceptable?
I've tried googling but can't find people talking about it. All I could find was drilling through the side of a beam and don't drill straight down through the center.
Image 1: Current example of what I want to do if legal

Image 2: The bay I would be doing it in.

Image 3-4: Context shots of the beam, stairs, and joists it's holding

I’ll try to answer anyway. I’ll make some assumptions and you tell me if I’m wrong.
The contributing load on the beam is 40 pounds per square foot (psf) Live Load plus 15 psf Dead Load for a total load of 55 psf.
If the joists on one side of the beam (and supported by the beam) spans 9’. So, half the 9’ floor load is transferred to the beam and the other half is transferred to the next support. Therefore, the floor load is :
55 psf x 9’ / 2 = 248 per linear foot along the beam, plus:
The weight of the wall above is about 15 psf x 4’ high = 60 plf
Therefore, the total weight on the beam is 248 plf + 60 plf = 308 plf
(I don’t think the stair connection contributes to the beam because it occurs at (or very near) a post. )
If the steel posts are 10’ - 12’ apart, there should be no problem drilling a diagonal hole within 3’ of the end of the beam. (Each 2x10 will support about 160 plf depending on the species and grade. 160 x 2 = 320 plf which is slight more than the required 308 plf.)
If the steel posts are 14’ apart, the allowable load goes down to about 120 plf, depending on the species and grade. (120 x 2 = 240 plf which is less than the required 308 plf.)
Holes not drilled in the middle third of the span are acceptable up to a certain size...and you are not approaching that size. (Btw, don’t drill multiple holes along the beam, especially in the middle third of the span.)
Note: make sure your refrigerator is not resting along this beam in any way.


What's the easiest way to carry 4x8 sheets of 70-lbs drywall by yourself? This past weekend, I had some help carrying eight 4x8 sheets of type X drywall up a flight of stairs.  It was not easy.  I know the sheets couldn't have weighed more than 80 lbs, but it felt like they weighed a ton.  I need to get more up the same flight, but won't have help this time and I am not keen to paying a few hundred bucks to have it done.

Some research has lead me to the Gorilla Gripper and PanelHandle.  I've read that the Gorilla Gripper can damage drywall.  Haven't found much else about the PanelHandle.  However, the demos I've seen on YouTube show them using it to carry sheets of plywood.

I ended up getting a hand-held panel carrier from Lowe's last week thinking it would help.  It goes under the sheet and you lift it with your right hand and hold the top of the sheet with your left (or the other way around).  It turned out not to help at all.

I really like the Gorilla Gripper provided that it doesn't damage drywall.

The way the GG would damage the drywall is by putting too much torque pressure on a single spot while you're lifting, since the GG is naturally going to want to twist the panel at the point it grips, given the way you have to hold it.

You probably can protect the drywall by using a foot long or so piece of 1/2" thick wood (like a strip of plywood cut to 3" x 12") putting it on the far side of the panel as you clamp with the GG.  That way the wood will absorb the torque pressure and distribute it more evenly along the drywall making it less likely to snap at the pressure point.

Grab with left and right hand, board behind your back, lift and up you go.


Is GFCI protection required for a dedicated exhaust fan circuit? I'm considering installing an exhaust fan in my bathroom which includes light and heat, and requires a dedicated 20 amp circuit. Would this circuit need GFCI protection? The instructions for the unit don't say anything about it. Even if it's not required, would it be a good idea to do anyway?

The National Electrical Code (NEC) does not require bathroom exhaust fans to be GFCI protected, however, there is this bit in Article 110.

  110.3 Examination, Identification, Installation, and Use of Equipment.
  (B) Installation and Use. Listed or labeled equipment shall be installed and used in accordance with any instructions included in the
  listing or labeling.

Which means you have to follow all of the manufacturers instructions while installing the fan. If you read the installation instructions that came with the fan, you might find something like this.

  SUITABLE FOR USE OVER TUB OR SHOWER ENCLOSURE  WHEN INSTALLED IN A
  GFCI PROTECTED BRANCH  CIRCUIT.
  Source

If you install this fan over a tub or shower, the fan must be GFCI protected according to the manufacturer.

No. GFCI protection is only needed for outlets.


GE dimmer works with 3 LED lights, somewhat with 4 and not at all with 5 I've got a brand new single pole GE 14294 Z-Wave Plus dimmer.  Before I try to connect it to z-wave, I wanted to make sure it was working.  I have five LED lights (4W, 65mA, BR20 flood) lights in series.  They were dimming fine on my old Leviton dimmer so I know they are OK.

Using the switch itself, the dimmer will switch the lights on and off no problem, but will not dim. BUT, if I unscrew two bulbs, then the remaining three work fine - i.e., the dimmer works correctly.  If I add the 4th back in, the will dim slightly.

I've checked the current, and 3 lights are pulling about 0.2A.  With four that goes up to 0.26A, with five about 0.32A.  Switch is rated for 1500W and is compatible with LED.

I've tried a different 14294 and have exactly the same problem.  Note that at this stage I'm just using the physical switch, so nothing to do with z-wave.

Any ideas?  Bug in the firmware?  Could it be the bulbs?
I Called Jasco/GE and they didn't know.

I think this has todo with minimum load. These dimmers require 50 watt min


GFCI outlet with led light not on but have power I have a new GFCI outlet with the LED light not on.  But the outlet has power and the load outlet also has power.  The test button works and you can reset the GFCI, but no LED light comes on. What can be wrong?

The light should only come on when the GFCI is tripped in most outlets.  There are GFCI outlet testers available; big box home stores carry them.  If the light doesn't come on when the outlet is tripped and the outlet tests correctly, it's probably the outlet.  Replacing the outlet would be the way forward to fix that.  The GFCI tester may show other problems which could cause unexpected behavior and should be fixed.


What is this, and can my dryer work without it? My clothes dryer had about a quarter of the rope in the image hanging out from inside the door. By pulling it the rest of it came out. Looks like some sort of gasket that's broken.

Questions:
Does anybody know what it is?
Can the dryer operate without it?

Dryer maker/model: General Electric Profile

The item referred to as a "rope" is likely to be either the drive belt or the felt strip that the drum rides on.

If the dryer drum still turns when the unit is turned on then what you pulled out is not the drive belt! On the other hand the belt could have torn in which case the motor will no longer be able to turn the drum. Clearly you would not be able to ignore and run the dryer without the belt.

The felt strip is typically fitted around the front periphery of the drum where it fits into a round track on the front housing of the dryer. The felt acts as a low friction bearing surface for the front support of the drum. If this is what you pulled out of your dryer then you do not want to attempt to operate the dryer without replacing the felt strip. To do so would lead to more serious damage as the drum became a metal to metal or metal to plastic bearing surface in the drum track.

For most dryers the replacement of the drive belt or the felt strip is relatively easy. You typically have to remove the front loading door assembly and the front housing of the dryer. (There may be other pre-steps to get to the point of being able to remove the front housing). Once you have access to the front of the drum it is easy to slide a new drive belt around the drum and onto the motor shaft and belt tightener/idler assembly. If it is the felt strip being replaced it is necessary to clean away any of the old felt debris and then afix the replacement strip into place on the drum. Note that the felt strip could be installed either on the drum itself or on the round track that is part of the front housing. It is typical for the opposing surface the runs in the track where the felt is placed is lined with a surface made of a hard slippery type of plastic.

If it's a drive belt, then no you can't run the dryer, but it's easy to replace.  Drive belts are stiff.

It could be the world's strongest lint rope, in which case you're fine.  Lint will be squishy.

If it's felt you'll want to replace it.  See http://homeguides.sfgate.com/install-dryer-drum-felt-seal-50257.html . Quoting ' A worn felt seal can allow your clothes to slip between the edge of the drum and the dryer cabinet, and as the dryer drum spins'.

Website http://www.ifixit.com/ might have a better repair guide though.


LG Dishwasher, no power at all So I have a relatively new dishwasher that just completely stopped working the other day. It's still under warranty but before going though all the hassle I want to check if there is nothing simple it could be.

I have checked all the basics such as fuses in the plug and if the socket actually works with other appliances. I have not yet opened it up but have no problem with doing so if there are any good ideas as to what could be the problem.

I remember the night before it stopped showing any signs of life it made some strange beeps just after finishing a cycle.

So far the net has not provided any clues.

its a LG, not sure on the exact model and seems like each store sells the same thing with different model numbers anyhow.

It has the text 'Inverter DirectDrive' and 'TrueSteam' on the front

So got the company out to fix it under guarantee and turns out it is just a very poorly designed system for buttons. It seems to be a AC Hum touch type button. The dish washer has small sponge (5mm x 5mm) wrapped with some conductive material which is meant to be attached to metal rods which forms the button inside the machine.

This gives the 'soft touch' as there is no moving parts like a normal button.

The problem was that these little sponges had fallen off the metal post which stopped it from working the way it was intended. Simple fix to re-attach the sponge back into place.

Well the fix from the guy that was sent out lasted all of 3 days before it broke again so this time I opened it up and fixed it myself (hopefully permanently).

Dead simple job, about 15 minutes taking the front panel off and glued them back into place with some contact adhesive.

Hope this will help someone else that has problems with a 'soft touch' button that will not work any more. Should be a similar type system for other soft touch buttons found on appliances.

So my lg front load washer had absolutely no power to the front board. After unplugging and attempting to reboot....NOTHING.  I than read a blog which told me to unplug the machine....push the power button and open and close the door. you have to repeat this step 12 times in 60 seconds and then plug it back in. I thought it was a joke but had nothing to loose.  Well ..SUCCESS !!!! Everything came back on and it works perfectly.  Hope this helps someone before they spend a couple hundred dollars on a repair bill!!!!!!


Painting Vinyl siding? Has anyone had success or tried painting vinyl siding?  Apparently Benjamin Moore
 claims that it is possible but I wanted to know if anyone has done this? Were there any pitfalls or learning?

The reason to want to do this should be pretty obvious as replacing all the siding on a house purely because of color is a lot of money. Basically I have a yellow house, the siding is in good condition, but quite ugly so was hoping there is an effective way to change its color other than buying new.

Yes, the link you posted is for the Regal Select Exterior Revive. This product is made specifically for Vinyl Siding. It is designed to be buckle-resistant and no primer is needed. I painted houses professionally for 11 years and all I used were Benjamin Moore products. I have used this on vinyl shutters and it works exceptionally well. Benjamin Moore is expensive, but it covers well and lasts for many years. I would note that yellow is one of the hardest colors to cover in a single coat. You will probably have to double coat it.

It can be done but I would leave it. A poor paint job could mess up your siding and a quality paint job might cost just as much as getting the siding replaced. Of course I never advocate to spend money on things that are purely cosmetic.


load limit for a 6"x8", 8' span? I am putting up a second story in a small building I want to create a framework to carry the load of the addition. I'm putting in piers and posts, which I have found correct info for. I have a stock of lumber, 4x6's and 6x8's, I would like to use the 6x8's. They would be supported by the piers and posts, one exact set on each under side of structure. The total load they would carry is 4500 lbs. so two sets of, two piers and posts with 6x8 beam spanning 8'. Hope this is not too confusing! Lol Thanks for the help

I'm not sure I understand where the posts and piers are in relation to the 6x8's. However, I can give you some info and maybe you can interpret.

According to Western Woods Use Book by West Coast Lumbermen’s Association, 1973 edition, a 6x8 beam can support about 8,000 lbs., depending on species of wood, grade, etc. on an 8' span.

Just went through something similar. You can check local building codes at city hall for that and more if necessary.


What is this part on the receptacle of the stove called and what is it for? We have an older Whirlpool electric stove.  (Model # RS6750XVN)  One of the burners isn't working and when I lifted the top off I found a different type of receptacle.  Three of the receptacles look like this:

The 4th broken receptacle looks like this:

What is the name and/or function of the part that the arrow is pointing to?  It looks like the yellow wires used to attach to it...will there be a problem is I buy a normal receptacle replacement kit, run the two wires to it, and skip that end part?  Thanks for the help!

Here are some more photos with the part detached:

The broken part is a thermal fuse. Here is a link to the part

You should be able to pull the broken parts out of the end of the wires. They are just simple spade terminals.

It is hard to say,  but it looks like it is bolted to the metal frame, so I think it may be the ground for the frame. Okay now that you have more pictures Longneck is correct. It was hard to tell from the first angle.


Can I add a neutral bus bar to my panel to allow more connections? I have a 200amp, 40 position but only can land 20 neutrals and 20 grounds because there aren't enough screws on the bar. I can't have 2 neutrals under the same screw. I do not have any empty spaces on neutral bus but have several double up neutrals. Can I add another neutral bus?

You CANNOT add a neutral bus. You can add a ground bus.
Neutral is not ground.
The essential difference here is that neutrals handle normal service current 24x7... whereas grounds only handle current during a ground-fault event.  So the neutral bars have thermal considerations ground bars do not, as well as, you don't want current to normally be present on the panel chassis, which is grounded.
So you cannot add additional neutral bars, but they provided enough neutral slots for your needs, so you are all set.
You can either add additional ground bars, or use the existing spaces as effectively as you are allowed to.  See below.
UL would never have approved what you claim.
Are you sure you have a 40-position panel?  If you have a 20-space panel, that does not mean you have 40 positions; some spaces are surely forbidden for tandem/double-stuff breakers if they only gave you 40 neutrals. You must heed those restrictions and not cheat around them.
In order to be approved by UL, a panel designed for n circuits MUST provide n neutral bar screw lugs, and also n / 3 (rounding up) ground screw lugs.  That is because NEC and UL both require each neutral be entirely solo on its screw... but up to 3 grounds can share 1 screw provided the panel labeling allows this, which it usually does.
Typically, on cheapie panels, they provide only neutral bars, and simply provide extra screws (1/3) on the neutral bars for the grounds, on the assumption this is a main panel.  If it's a subpanel, you are expected to purchase accessory ground bars ($4-7).
I do not believe for a New York minute that a 40-circuit panel shipped with 40 neutral screws only and no grounds.
That leaves only 2 possibilities:  The original installer squandered the screws by wiring many grounds solo... and you'll need to triple up the grounds (or otherwise follow label instructions) so that have enough screws to solo the neutrals.
Or, the panel has been illegally double-stuffed (e.g. using non-CTL breakers in a CTL panel) and it has more circuits in it than it can support.  That will need to be corrected, may be time to think about a subpanel.
Read the instructions carefully on accessory ground bars
Some of them do not allow 3 grounds per screw terminal, some only allow 2 or even 1.
However you must "stay within brand" of the ground bars; the panel labeling will specify specific models of ground bar, and they will bolt right up to the sites already drilled and notched for those bars.  Easy peasy.  You could use a 3rd party bar with AHJ approval, but it'd be an awful lot of work to drill and tap custom mounting holes for it. Not worth it for the $1-2 you'd save at most.

Yes, Best practice is to land all the neutrals on the same bus bar that's connected to your service neutral. If you need an additional bus bar, that's an easy connection, just use a large gauge wire (such as 4ga) between the added bus bar and the current one. You don't mention ground wires, but if you added a bus bar, it might be possible to move the current grounds to the new bus bar, bonded to the panel and the existing neutral bus bar.  Pictures of the innards of your panel would help us give you better advice.


Can I vent a portable air conditioner unit through a heat vent? I have an old house and don't have a window to open for the portable AC to vent to. Can I vent it out through a heat vent (my home has modern ventilation)?

You will be pushing humid warm air into the ductwork. That is not a good plan for a number of reasons.

1) This is essentially the same as venting the portable ac into the house since the ductwork feeds air to the house. The ac unit is trying to remove heat and humidity from the house to cool it. That is why the vent needs to exit the living space.

2) introducing moisture into the ductwork  will cause mold to grow  in them and may cause them to rust if they are metallic.

3) The humid air pushed into the duct work will find its way to the expensive parts in your furnace and damage them as well.

I would try thinking of it like a clothes dryer that you need to vent to the outside of your space. Could you add a duct through a wall with a weather cap on the outside termination?

Kris's answer says that the exhaust air of a portable AC unit is humid, but that is incorrect. Kris's answer is correct for AC window units, which definitely direct both the heat and condensate drain directly outside, but the question was specifically asked about portable AC units.

The condenser coil's (on the hot side, typically vented to outdoors) temperature is always going to be equal to or greater than ambient temperature. This means that the temperature of the condenser coil is never below the dew point of the air, so there is no condensation to deal with.

The evaporator coil's (on the cold side, typically vented indoors) temperature is always going to be equal to or less than ambient temperature. When the evaporator coil temp is lower than the dew point of the air going through it, water will condense and the unit will either collect it to drain later, or you can plumb it directly to the drain.

A portable AC unit is essentially just a portable dehumidifier, but with improved and separated venting for both the hot and cold sides. The exhaust of a dehumidifier is not moist, because the condensate is collected/drained. On the same note, a portable dehumidifier also creates heat from the phase change process, and if you vent a  portable AC unit indoors you are essentially doing the same thing. You'll lower the humidity of the entire building, but one room will be cold with the rest being slightly warmer.

So to answer your question, yes you can vent a portable AC unit wherever you want to indoors, as long as you don't care about pushing heat there. Ideally you would vent it outdoors, but second best would be venting into a return air vent and running the HVAC furnace circulation fan but without turning on the heat in your furnace. This will spread the heat around enough to not be as noticable.

Dumping heat into a heating vent will push hot air into wherever the next closest heating vent is on the same supply line. If this is a bedroom right next to this room, it's going to get pretty hot in there.

I've helped with cooling a server room in commercial office space. Portable AC units are used in situations where mini split AC units aren't in their budget or they're not allowed to make penetrations in the exterior building envelope. Typically they vent the exhaust into the plenum above the dropped ceiling tile, which is the return air in most offices. Yes, it heats up the rest of the building, but it makes the one room colder than the rest as intended.

Ideally they would have just vented the room better and skipped the portable AC unit, but the IT guy in charge thought that servers would be too hot at 75F ambient and that the room needed to be 60F instead. I disagreed, but it's not my server room or equipment either.

Either way the exhaust is hot and dry, not hot and humid. Dump it anywhere you want, it's definitely not like a clothes dryer at all. You won't have a mold problem. Go for it.


Getting 200 amp from 2 different 100 amp service This is for my shop - i have 2 units with separate meters - each unit getting 100 amp service. Each unit has its own electric panel. Now what i want to do is to pull two 100 amp circuit from each panel - and joining them parallel to a 200 Amp Disconnect. From the Disconnect it goes to my equipment which needs 175 Amp power. Here is a drawing.

Does this make sense? Is this doable. Basically connecting 2 power source in parallel. We learn back in engineering - voltage remains same but current doubles.  Any thoughts or comment.

Illegal, and impossible at any sane cost

Paralleling is, for all practical purposes of interest to you, illegal in mains wiring. Even when it is done owing to ampacity needs, it uses special equipment on the line side which renders it useless for anything like this.

The only way to inter-tie two supplies is with some sort of airgapping which assures energy flow is one way always, and provides isolation.  Think of it as "magic diodes that work on AC".  M-G sets with overrunning clutches, or railway-style substations where you feed an ungrounded transformer then rectify to DC and run your machine off the DC bus. Any of these would be prohibitively expensive, of course.

The path of least resistance (heh) is to have the conversation with the power company. You need to do this anyway, as you cannot simply slap a 175A load on their line without permission.  Their supply lines and equipment are simply not factored for a load that large!  Most houses take 1kw (4A) on average, and they absolutely rely on residential loads being intermittent.

Expect a lot of things to come out of this conversation, such as 480V - you could run your load off three #6 wires instead of two #0000's..

Also did you remember the 125% derate?

Bascially, you would be back feeding one service from the other service if it were disconnected. They don't allow that. The same thing happens with grid tie alternative energy production. That's why they require anti islanding on the devices that put power in to the grid, so that if the service is disconnected it won't still have electricity in it coming from the other side.

Assuming you're lucky enough to have both on the same phase so you can parallel them, maybe there is some kind of device that accomplishes this? Aside from getting it UL listed, it would be fairly simple to make. It would just be a relay on the second service that would connect it to the 1st service to parallel them. The logic would only turn on the relay when it senses Voltage drop on the 1st service which would happen when more current is needed, and then it would ensure that the phases match before turning on the relay. Once the load is reduced (or flows in reverse), it would open the relay again.


Do I have to provide better support when hanging a range hood from soffit framing? I recently purchased a house and am currently renovating my kitchen. I have gutted the kitchen and changed the wall between the kitchen and living room to a half wall. The design I have now is setup to put the stove/oven against the half wall.

On the inside of this kitchen wall I have an 8' ceiling but there is a soffit with my heating duct work running through it which brings it down to 7' above where the stove top will be. The stove top comes up 36" so that leaves me 48" to work with for the range hood. I don't think I will be able to get a vented out range hood due to the pre-existing duct work so I will have to get a ductless/recirculating hood.

Is it possible for me to hang a hood down from the soffit frame? Would I have to add support to the frame to make it stronger? The frame now looks pretty weak, so I'm guessing I would.

Every big box has said hood you need.  Do they have one that is fancy or that you will like in the depth.  Who knows?

As you can hang your "vent" from anywhere that is secure.  Note that whether you have to vent out is up to local code.  Most don't require it, meaning if they don't you want to think about not having anything - what you are getting is less effective than a ceiling.  You might also want to think about just installing a ceiling vent/fan (bathroom vent variety).


Cord plug amperage rating for 3-phase machine If i have 3 phase running to  a machine with 35 amp breakers how many amps should my cord ends be rated for ?

3 Phase NEMA cord caps jump from 30 amps to 50 amps so you would need a 50.
 What is the voltage? this will define the style of outlet and cord cap.
480 V would use a NEMA L16-50 this is a true 3 phase with ground (4 wire). If you are using a system that also requires a neutral you will need the 5 wire.


What size wire for two 100 amp sub panels? I am running two 100 amp sub panels from a 200 amp service. My question is the wire size. I have seen the chart via The NEC provides wire sizing based on the type to be used and the application.

I am going 20 feet away from service. I have the calculator for voltage drop. What is the percentage I should use in allowable voltage drop?  1 or 3? I come up with 1 awg  which seems rather small.

I'd rather not overkill with 1/0 or 2/0 for the sake of lack of knowledge.

The size of wire you use will depend on a few factors, including how it is being run.

If you plan to use conduit to run both sets of SE cables, you need to derate them, unless the conduit is able to enforce proper spacing (which it likely isn't). For two sets of 3-wire cables (four with ground), that is 4 conductors (neutrals aren't counted since they only carry imbalance current in a split-phase cable). In that case, your derating is to 80% of wire ampacity for its temperature rating.

In this case, 2GA copper wire is appropriate because it services 130A, which derates to 104A. If you have them running separately, then you can use up to 4GA. See this table.

Lastly, you were concerned with voltage drop. I'd say don't be. 4GA over 20 ft has a resistance of 5mΩ, which means at 100A, you would get .5V total drop. If you include the return trip (40ft total length), that's still only 1V... Check out this calculator.

All of this, however, assumes that each subpanel has a separate feeder breaker in the main breaker panel. If you plan to feed-through or do a T-splice from one cable to two panels, you will need to size for 200A since the cables can carry the full 200A load.

Also see this question.

Use # 2SER AL or #4 SER Copper. : 4 conductor


What grit sandpaper should I use between coats of polyurethane? I'm planning on applying polyurethane to a pine bench I've finished staining. I decided on foam brushes for application, but I wasn't sure what grit sandpaper I should use between coats. Is 400 good enough? Or should I use 600? Or both?

Also, if anyone has any recommendations for application other than foam brushes, I wouldn't mind hearing them.

Read the instructions on the can.  See what the manufacturer recommends.

Sandpaper is fairly useless on polyurethane because the heat generated by the friction causes the polyurethane to melt and block up the grit.  And the finer the grit, the faster it gets blocked up.

I have been using polyurethane for more than 30 years.  Here is my routine to achieve a fine finish:

Note: If you do not have a dust-free environment, you should try to apply the polyurethane outside on a calm day.  Dust particles falling on your work are a major problem.  Stay out of the sun, though.

Sand work piece surface to 220.
Vacuum work piece surface.
Using a soft cloth, rub a very light coat of mineral spirits into the work.  This will give the polyurethane a head start penetrating and “gripping” the wood and will retard the drying time slightly.  This will also allow the grain to appear more vividly so you will get some idea of the finished product.
Wipe down the work piece with a tack cloth and immediately begin applying polyurethane.
Apply polyurethane with a fine brush, working across the grain first, then with the grain.  Work quickly, overlapping and moving the polyurethane along the piece.  Apply only a thin coat.  Do not attempt to re-brush the polyurethane once it has “leveled.”  (When the brush strokes disappear.)
After drying, sand first coat lightly with 220 paper on a sanding block.
Wipe off polyurethane dust with a soft cloth, then wipe with a tack cloth, and begin applying second coat.
I do not use sandpaper on the second coat.  I use medium steel wool on the second coat, and fine steel wool on the third coat.
After a few weeks, you can apply a light coat of carnauba wax using very fine steel wool or just a soft cloth.

Note:  Never work directly from the polyurethane can.  Pour the polyurethane you need into a clean plastic cup, then work from the cup.  Discard any unused polyurethane and the cup.  Never pour unused polyurethane back into the can.  If you do, you will just be adding more dust particles to your next finishing job.

80 grit will work just fine in removing any dust particles in between coats.


Best way to seal a funky gap on shower door frame I am trying to fix a gap at the shower door frame which I think resutled from previous owner's improper installation/sealing.

As you can see, there is this little gap at the shower door frame. That orange stick was from the hole, part of the unsuccessful sealing attempt from the previous owner, I believe.

The gap is in a very hard to access spot and direct sealing would't fully fill it up. I am wondering if I could apply some waterproof sealing foams on it?

Would these products be the right one I am looking for? Are they waterproof enough to apply on shower door gaps, or it's just general waterproof that can't really be used in shower door frame.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Loctite-12-fl-oz-Tite-Foam-Insulating-Foam-2045981/206310510

http://www.premierbuildingsolutions.net/product/xtrafoam-minimal-expanding-foam-sealant/

Gap doesn't look that big. I would use silicone caulk.


Remove drilled out venturi tube from base in thermador gas range? When this stove was serviced a few years ago, the tech had to drill out one or two venturi tubes.

I just had to drill out 2 of 4 in order to remove the top of the stove. They were completely siezed up.

So... the top of the stove is off... but how do I get the remains of these venturi tubes out of the threaded base?

OK, I did it.

Here is how:

Remove the jet holder from the stove, put it in a vise (gently)

Insert spiral bolt extractor. Tap it in with two hammer taps.

Attach socket to end of bolt extractor. Use electric impact wrench, short bursts, and break it free.

Was able to remove three of four no problem. The fourth was frozen completely, and I will replace the whole thing.

Is the remaining portion of the tube a soft metal like brass? Even if it was steel I would think that you could use some strong pliers to get ahold of the upper edge and start to bend it inward. doing so would start to free the metal from the base it was screwed into and possibly even getting it to the point it would be able to turn.

Try the bending process so as to get as much of the sidewall to bend inwards as possible. Here is as attempt at a pictorial guide:


Trouble removing old wide-spread faucet I'm having several issues removing an old widespread faucet from my sink and could use a hand in naming a few pieces and trying to determine if I can remove this thing with existing tools or will i have to cut it out with a rotary tool.

Lets look at some pics shall we, top half of the photo is the faucet with the pfister marquis styled handle covers removed.

Bottom left of image is of stem underneath handle, I can't unscrew that rounded, bronze colored cap, have sprayed copious amounts of WD40 on there, not sure if loosening that nut will allow access to area that can help in removing handle from topside.

Bottom right of image is of down stem and brass fittings from underneath.  The basin nut is something I have never seen or heard of, can't find n image of it online.  Would be nice if someone could point me to the name of that thin threaded nut with the square notches in it:

Even if I had a tool to loose that nut (basin wrench will not grab ahold of it due to its slim profile), how would I remove that brass tee fitting there?  It doesn't look like that tee is section is attached to anything, looks like all one piece.   when I used the basin wrench the tee fitting, the whole thing spun around together. So I'm officially confused and a bit frustrated after looking at this situation for 3 hours.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Our house is from 1970 and we have three of the exact same model faucets. The handle in particular is a bit rough on the hands so we were eager to replace. The drain cover says Price-Pfister.

Similar to above, the spanner nut was in there tight. On one of the replacements, I was able to use a type of hook wrench pictured to function as a way to hold it in place while I turned the underside of the spigot clockwise. This caused it to loosen. On another, I had to spray some WD40 on there to loosen it then once again hold it in place while I turned the underside of the spigot clockwise.

On both there was no budging the top assembly. Essentially you have to loosen it enough to be able to pull and expose enough spigot to take a mini hacksaw and saw it a little more than halfway. It takes about 10 minutes. After that it bends and breaks rather easily. Fortunately I did not need to break out the Dremel tool.

6 step faucet seat wrench removal tool.. about 8 bucks at home depot


Can I switch this outlet for a USB outlet? Does anyone know what kind of outlet is this one:

...and can I safely swap it with this one?

Or is there anything power concerns that I should be aware of??

Your existing outlet (NEMA 6-20) is used for 240 volts while your USB/outlet (5-15) is designed for 120 volts. Assuming the 6-20 is correctly wired, you cannot just replace it with the USB outlet. As well as supplying the wrong voltage to anything plugged into it, the USB charger that is built in will probably die, possibly violently!

(The key to knowing that it is for 240 volts is that the right-hand slot is horizontal instead of vertical. The T-slot on the left is for 20 amps and can accept either a 6-15 (15 amp) ot 6-20 (20 amp) plug.)

If you want to use the new outlet in that place, you will need to go into your fuse/breaker box and change the wiring to the outlet to 120 volts.

Since that outlet is 240V, the easiest solution is to keep the outlet in the wall and use an international adapter that will allow you to use a regular USB power adapter in it.  Most USB power adapters will work on a voltage range of 100-240 VAC and a frequency of 50-60 Hz, but verify that your adapter specifies that it works on 240 VAC and 60 Hz before doing this.

Below is an example of the international power adapter that you would need. This will plug into your existing outlet and allow you to use a normal USB power adapter on it as long as you verify that the AC power adapter works on 240 VAC and 60 Hz (which most of them do.)


Are these breakers suitable for a GE panel? I have three types of non-GE breakers on my GE panel. They are from the previous owner and possibly many many years old. I think they are Murray and Square D. Are these breakers that need to be replaced or are they UL-Classified to work on other panels?

The panel is a GE TLM1612C, I think.

Thanks!

TLDR: They're all wrong.  Swap with a GE or classified breaker (e.g. Eaton CL not BR).

Allowable breakers

You can use several breakers inside a panel.

Breaker types which are listed on the panel's labeling, these will be made by the same manufacturer and the same type, and UL-listed.
Breaker types which are contemporary to your panel's labeling, but again are still the same manufacturer, and they state they will work in your panel, or substitute for breakers which are labeled for use in your panel.  Also UL-listed.
Breakers which are made by a third party, who sends them to Underwriter's Laboratories to have them UL-listed for the competitor panel.  UL calls this a "UL-Classified" breaker, and they run the same set of tests they run on factory breakers.  If you research the manufacturer of the breaker and their classified breaker lines, they should show a cross-reference chart stating which factory breakers their Classified breakers can substitute for.

UL-Classified breakers

Classified is UL's way of saying these are not OEM breakers and do not have the benefit of the OE's expertise and trade-secret knowledge, but they do pass safety testing.

Keep in mind that a manufacturer's Classified breakers are different breakers than the OEM breakers they make for their own panels.  For instance, Siemens QD breakers are classified for Square D QO panels, and must not be used in any Siemens panel of any kind.

Similarly, you will see that Eaton's CL line of breakers is not UL-classified for use in Eaton BR panels -- even though the breakers may look outwardly the same.

This should not be confused with cross-listing.  For instance,  Challenger panels have breakers known to be defective (but panels are fine).  People seeking to replace those breakers find their panel labeling requires type C breakers. They are pleased to discover that Eaton's BR line is cross-listed as type BR and type C.

Your breakers

On your panel, we can strike out the Square D breakers immediately.  Square D is absolutely opposed to "Classified" breakers.  They refuse to make classified breakers for competitor panels, and they object to the use of Classified breakers in their panels (not that they have anything to say about it).   So the Square D "HOMeline" breakers are out-of-place because Square D says so: You are using this breaker in contradiction to its labeling and instructions, which violates NEC 110.3(B).

It also violates NEC 110.2, which requires all equipment must be approved.

Siemens does make classified breakers.  They make the QD type for Square D "QO" panels, and the MSQ type also for Square D "QO" panels.  Now, Siemens' website just burned down so Google is useless (every page is 404).  But from Google's view of their pages, it's clear they don't make UL-classified breakers for GE panels.  Even if they did, their MP-T type is not that; being made exclusively for Murray lineage panels.  As such, 110.3(B) and 110.2 apply, same as above.

The proper GE breakers are perfectly reasonably priced.  If they weren't (QO isn't), then you could consider classified breakers made for that panel, such as Eaton CL.  Do not use Eaton BR; as mentioned earlier, a manufacturer's classified lines are incompatible with their own panels, unless they are also classified for their own panels (The fact Eaton didn't classify the CL line for BR probably means they can't.)

I'm not a Manufacturer nor an Underwriter and I'll disgust a few people here. But yes, they're absolutely fine if they're not causing any problems. They've proven themselves with their longevity.

That's my experience from trying what was available in the same exact dimensions and seating stiffness.

FYI, UL-Classified is a problem, but UL-Listed is not.

UL-Classified is the cheap garbage route by only partially meeting the safety standard in just very specific tests. UL-Listed is the full boat approval of the entire safety standard.

Though, if the MP-T, RT and RS aren't listed on any panel documentation and don't match any of the, assumed correct, GE breakers, then you can probe the situation a little deeper.

Change them out if: They are warmer than the GE's, are melting or deforming on any of their surfaces or are causing or showing any corrosion at their connection to wiring or to the bus bar.

Otherwise, all UL-Listed breakers (of the time) met all of the same requirements and duties demanded. Does age matter? Nope, not in the slightest...unless you're talking older is a whole lot better in every way.


Why are both wires white and black hot at the outlet, light switch and even at light in the ceiling. I replaced the outlets and switches and lights Why are both wires white and black hot at the outlet, and light switch and even at the light in the ceiling

In the case of a light switch, it is normal if the switch is setup as follows:

[elec ]B=========#==============+
[panel]W--------+ +X---------X+ |
                | |           | |
                (~)           [-]
               light         switch

The white wire is carrying power back to the light, and convention dictates there should be a piece of black tape (X) around the white wire to indicate it is a live return.

It's important that the switch must go against the live lead not the neutral.

-- Minor edit to diagram.  The wire from the panel usually ends in the ceiling.  A new wire runs to the switch, black to black with a nut, and white (switched hot) back to the fixture. # indicates this nut.

In all reality, there is no official distinction of what color wire is for what. However, common convention says the black = hot/powered/charged/incoming, white = neutral/return, green = ground/earth, and red = switched.

When it comes to 3/4 way switches, it's not uncommon to see 2 blacks, 2 whites, or each color as hot. Same for switched outlets or outlets running in parallel. If an inexperienced homeowner did any kind of rework, could also explain it.


Why won't my pilot light stay lit on my hot water heater? I have a reliance model 5 30 NORS971 gas HOT WATER tank. The basement flooded a little and put out the pilot. When it would not light, I replaced the pilot tip and went ahead and replaced the thermocouple. All went well and it lit and fired the burner.

One week later, the pilot would light but go out when button released. Replaced the gas control with one from another tank and it worked for about a week. The pressure relief was then leaking a little so replaced it.

One more week and not working so bought new gas control and replaced and all lit.

Now 2 weeks later, not working and pilot will light but, goes out on release. used multimeter and get 20 mv on thermocouple.

What would be cause of gas controls burning out?

Here are a few things to consider, from a Reliance water heater Installation Instructions and Use & Care Guide.

  Safety Shut-off
  This water heater is designed to automatically shut-off in  the event of the following:

  The pilot flame is extinguished for any reason.
  The water temperature exceeds 195°F (91°C).
  Excessive build up of dust on the base ring filter or  flame arrestor. See Maintenance of your Water Heater  Section.
  The ignition of flammable vapors.

  A thermocouple is used to determine if a pilot flame is  present, and will shut off the gas supply to the main  burner and the pilot if the flame is absent. This unit is  also equipped with a thermal switch, designed to shut off  the gas supply in the event the water heater has been  exposed to flammable vapors (e.g., spilled gasoline),  poor combustion caused by a blocked vent or insufficient  combustion air. If the thermal switch opens:

  Check the flame-arrestor for signs of high temperature  (blue or black discoloration). See Figure 29.

  Click for larger view
  If there are signs of high temperature, inspect your installation for any problems with venting, combustion air supply and for a flammable vapor event (see "Pilot Light Troubleshooting Flow Chart" section). Correct any issues prior to resetting the thermal switch. If you suspect a flammable vapor incident has occurred, do not use this appliance. Immediately call a qualified technician to inspect the appliance. Water heaters subjected to a flammable vapors ignition will require replacement of the entire water heater.
  Reset the thermal switch by depressing the small button in the center of the thermal switch. Follow the Lighting Instructions found on the front of your water heater

  A high temperature limit switch or ECO (Energy Cut Off) in the tank is used to shut off the unit if the water temperature exceeds 195°F (91°C). The ECO is a single-use switch, which, if activated, requires complete replacement of the entire gas control valve/thermostat. If the ECO should activate, the water heater cannot be used until the gas control valve/thermostat is replaced by a qualified technician.  Contact your local dealer for service information.

Also make sure you check and clean the base-ring filter.

  External Inspection & Cleaning of the Base-Ring Filter

  At least annually check the base-ring filter (Figure 29)
  for any dust or debris that may have accumulated on
  the filter screen. NOTE: If the water heater is located
  in an area that is subjected to lint and dirt, it may be
  necessary to check the base-ring filter more frequently.
  Follow the Lighting Instructions to turn off the water
  heater and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before
  attempting to clean the base-ring filter.
  Use a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment to
  remove any dust or debris that may have accumulated
  on the filter. NOTE: If unable to inspect or clean the
  base-ring filter, follow the “Cleaning the Combustion
  Chamber and Flame-arrestor” instructions.
  After the base-ring filter has been cleaned, follow
  the Lighting Instructions to return the water heater to
  service.

The guide also has a pretty good troubleshooting section.

  Click for larger View

Make sure the unit has plenty of combustion air. Often after a flood in the basement, folks tend to shuffle things around. If things are stacked too closely to the appliances, the combustion air to appliances can be restricted.

90% of the time the thermocouple is bad.bad gas valve or  negative air pressure.


Adding insulation to basement that already has vapor barrier I have leftover insulation from doing my basement, little bits and pieces.

In between the joists on my basement ceiling it is insulated with vapour barrier already from when the house was built.

Will condensation form if I put all the extra pieces against the vapour barrier on the inside of the wall but do not put a second vapour barrier? Or will it be fine and help my house stay better insulated? Or is it a complete waste of time.

It just seems like such a shame for all these smaller pieces to go to waste.

Insulation is always installed as such:

Warm side | Vapor/ Moisture barrier | Insulation | Cold side

You ONLY want a moisture barrier between the warm side and the insulation, because warm air holds onto more moisture than cold air, and when warm air meets cold (air, wall, whatever), the air has to let go of that moisture as it cools, forming condensation.  The moisture barrier prevents that moist air from getting into the insulation where cold and warm meet.

If you put insulation on the wrong side of your barrier, the moisture will form in the insulation, and as Shirlock said, if you create TWO layers of barrier, you create a potential moisture trap.

Little pieces of insulation are fairly useless because there are so many joints for air to move through.

If your existing vapor barrier is plastic sheeting, I would not place insulation in front of it (warm side of the room).  Moisture will migrate through the insulation and likely condense against the existing vapor barrier, thus trapping water in the wall.

If your existing moisture barrier is the kraft paper face on the original insulation, then probably no harm will result, since the paper-faced insulation allows mositure to migrate more quickly.

Note:  All mositure barriers are permeable, even concrete.  It is just a matter of how quickly the moisture can move through the barrier.


What is this construction material under my drywall? I'm trying to understand the construction of a wall in my basement in order to determine how best to attach French cleat hangers to it. The studs I have been able to find with my stud finder have appeared to be irregular distances apart (anywhere from 6" to 26") so I suspected something unusual was behind the drywall.

Taking off a section of drywall revealed this. It is some kind of fairly crumbly 1/2" thick cement board over what appears to be plywood. The hole in the lower right was already there when I took the drywall off, though I enlarged it a bit to expose the plywood behind.

My first question is: what is this material?

Second: it clearly has no structural value given how crumbly it is (I can break off pieces with my finger), so there must be studs behind it. I think it is playing tricks on my stud finder. Any suggestions for locating the studs beyond drilling a bunch of holes?

EDIT: I was able to look at a different part of the wall via the access panel for our water shut-off valve. I think I was mistaken, and this is actually a layer of plaster with the old lath and plaster behind it. As you can see, in this section of the basement a new stud wall was put up in front of the lath and plaster. It appears in the original photo that the drywall has been attached directly to the plaster on top of the old wall. Is this going to cause me problems in the future?

I can't speak to what sort of construction this is, though it looks like cement board to me. Hopefully someone else can tell you more.

But to answer your second question, how to locate the studs, I have had similar issues with the walls in my house, which are plaster, on top of sheetrock. A studfinder won't work, but what does work, though it is a little tedious, is a magnet attached to a fine piece of string. I used a magnet you can get at a craft store, it's about the size of a crown bottle cap. I used tape to stick it to a piece of floss.

You basically run along the wall in a left right motion, back and forth, and moving up or down slightly after each pass. The magnet should stick, or hang up, where the fasteners are that hold the drywall to the studs.

I believe you should have a piece of that wall board tested for asbestos before doing anything else to it.I have something similar that I had tested; it came back negative but I don't believe it as I cannot find any type of "cement" board that was made pre-1980 that DIDN'T have asbestos in it. I am going to have mine tested again....


How can a ceiling fan be mounted to a fan-rated box that has been extended? Let us say that we have a fan rated 4" octagon box in the ceiling, but the box doesn't supply enough space for all the wires up there (quite possible if the fan wiring is complicated, for instance with multiple switch loops in a multi-way setup, or with a relay involved).  With a normal box, you'd simply slap a matching extension (4" octagon in our case) on the box and call it a day.

However, since there's a big, heavy ceiling fan that needs to hang from this box, how do you attach the ceiling fan securely to the extended box, or does the extension need to be fan rated as well for this to be (NEC 2014) Code-compliant, considering that the fan bracket needs to be solidly mounted to the box for a typical bar-type fan-rated box?  (Vs. the fan bracket screws penetrating a joist in the case of a pancake or saddle box, which makes extension easier strangely enough as you simply need a long enough pair of screws)

422.18 paddle fans shall  be supported independently of an outlet box Or by a listed box or outlet box system identified for the use and installed per 314.27.C.

There may be listed box extensions out there for paddle fans but I have never seen one. To be code compliant the better route to take with a paddle fan that has more conductors than the box fill allows would be to add a second box. If the ceiling (attic) above the fan is accessible this would be fine. If the ceiling (2 story fan on main floor) above the fan is not accessible a second box could be cut in and a cover plate attached after being wired.
After seeing the damage done to the electrical system and home when a DIY home owner incorrectly installed a nice fan I would strongly recommend making sure the fan support box is listed for the weight of the fan or more.

An additional code reference for those hanging chandeliers weighing more than 6 Lbs. If a luminaire  weighs less than 6lbs it can be supported on other boxes or plaster rings with no fewer than 2 #6 screws 2014 NEC 314.27.1 exception 1. (even a simple light fixture weighing more than 6lbs requires a listed box).

Being it is a fan rated box (and secured/screwed into the joists), the extender does not need to be fan rated. The extender must still screw into the fan rated box and in turn the fan must screw into the fan rated box and not just to the extender, which would require longer screws.


To which extent can outside walls make a room cold? My kitchen is a small extension (5 or 6 square meters) of the house. No heater. Extremely cold in winter (down to 8 degrees celcius). For months I've wondered why it's so cold (1), now I suspect it's the outside walls: the kitchen walls are about 80% or 90% outside walls. Can this explain why the room is so cold, and if so are there things I can do about it?

(1) I already posted a question here about why my kitchen is cold. But since the reason I'm proposing now is so different and calls for a different kind of answers, I thought posting a new question was more appropriate than adding comments to my old question.

An association of insulation suppliers claims

More than 40% of all the heat lost in an average home is through the loft space and walls
Up to 45% of heat is lost through uninsulated solid walls
More heat is lost through walls than any other route – approximately 33% in an uninsulated home

Obviously, we need to take into account that they are not a disinterested party but this does support the idea that the more external walls a room has, the more heat it will lose to the outside in cold weather.

The solutions, unsurprisingly are

insulate the walls (and ceiling, and floors too)
install heating.

Insulation depends on the type of wall construction - which differs markedly between the USA and UK and other places.

See http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/heat-loss-transmission-d_748.html

Air seal and insulate the attic space above. Install dense pack cellulose in the exterior walls. If there is a crawlspace below, install 2 or 3 in poly iso, then air seal the poly and the rim joists.


Should the steel pipe from the gas meter into a home have foam insulation like an exposed water pipe? A neighbor put rubber foam insulation on the exposed length of steel pipe from the meter into the house . Is this a good idea ?

The temperature at which methane liquefies is around -258°F (-161°C), and it doesn't freeze until -296°F (-182°C).  If it's cold enough to freeze the gas in your pipes, you have bigger things to worry about!

No, but it just have to have inside junction made by soldering (and not made with "tightening-type" fittings) or be contained into another pipe closed on the "inside". So an eventual gas leak is routed trough the outer pipe to the ouside, this at under UNI regulations.

So steel pipe is usually not adopted for indoor usage because it needs "outer pipe", copper is used instead for the inside.


Can I run CAT5/6 cables parallel to electrical cables? I am building a new house and am planning to hardwire network cables into each room.

Can I run CAT5/6 cables parallel to electrical wires without introducing any general safety issues or losing much in connection quality?

Wiring runs for up to 25 metres from patch panel and distribution board in garage to rooms.

My research indicates that is should be fine if they are in separate conduits or if the CAT cables are shielded.

While a shielded Cat5/6 cable is designed to protect itself from outside interferance, it isn't recommended to run them side-by-side to your electrical wiring.  Typical is to run electrical down one stud and the Cat5/6 down a different stud.  Basically do the same as you would for telco.

Be sure to use cables rated for in-wall Riser (CMR) use. That's a safety issue in the event of a fire. Use Plenum is rarely required in homes.


How to repair holes in wall and properly mount a clothes pole? We just moved into our house and tried hanging up my wife's winter clothes. Once we had both sides of the racks filled up the whole thing fell down. We had a handy man come out, and we figured out there isn't a stud where the middle bracket is. He tried to repair the piece to wall (originally supported with 15+ nails) however it would not support it. He was able to get it up back up with two silver anchors that you can see in the picture stating not to hang heavy stuff anymore.
Today we tried  just hanging up lighter clothes today (athletic wear) and the anchors came out of the wall. I am frustrated now because we want to hang up our cloths on the top racks because of the ample amount of space, but we are unable to do so due to the fear of it collapsing. Does anyone know of a way to possibly fix this?

Jack is right.  Take down the old mounting piece.  Buy a new longer piece of plywood that will extend over to the nearest studs.  You can take the old wood piece into the store to use for color matching a pint of paint.  You could paint it outside before attaching it to the wall.
Then center the new piece along the wall for aesthetics and use heavy screws to screw it into the studs.  This would hide the old torn out drywall holes.  You can then mount the old hardware with L brackets.
Alternatively, you could try to mount a taller piece of wood that extends up to the ceiling and screw diagonally up to the wall's frame.
Just a thought... You might be able to see the studs from above.  I see the attic access right there.

That middle bracket has split into two pieces, evidence that it wasn't constructed correctly. a proper fix will involve replacing it with a bracket that is structurally sound. I'm not going to discus that further,
Here's a dodgy way to repair it.
Drill a small hole in the ceiling above the rail, if you find wood screw in a screw eye and tie the rail to that,
If you find air get a 3' long stick (2x4, broom handle, pallet slat, whatever) and go up through that manhole and place the stick on two beams so that it crosses the hole  tie a string or wire round the stick and pass it back down through the hole, nail the stick to the beams, tie the rail to the wire.
And a slightly less dodgy way
to reattach the loose half of that bracket. Get a 6 inch long screw (you may need to visit a screw specialist to buy this) and screw upwards at a 45 degree angle through the top hole of the bracket. the screw will eventually reach the top plate of the wall which will be strong enough to support the bracket,
then get some repair brackets and use 3/4" screws to rejoin
the two parts of the bracket


Faucet handle removal I’m trying to replace my bathroom faucet (I turned off the water supply lines) and cannot get the base of the handles off.

Here are photos of the top and bottom:

Anything I should try?

This is a NUT:

Channel locks or a slip lock wrench will work. Remove the metal piece on the threaded pipe first.

For the top, I agreee with @jstola but it looks kinda like someone may have filled the bell housing with caulk (the white goo out the top doesn't belog there).
Once in a while, these housings have a small recessed hole with an allen nut inside; yours does not look like one of these, but if you see a small hole in it that looks useless, it probably is.
Also, sometimes these fixtures are also threaded on (and I believe sometimes they are a reverse thread), yours could very well be one of these. If it is caulked inside, you might need to (sensibly) apply some heat to get it to break/melt free.  Definitiely try the putty knife idea first, clean off all excess plumbers putty or caulk, and remove anything plastic. Dont cook the countertop.

Spray the rusted nut with WD40 or another type penetrating oil, helps a lot when fighting rust.


Dryer venting problem I own a home built in 2003.  The laundry room is in the middle of the house, but also adjacent to the garage, I live in Florida.

The dryer venting system is close to the floor, turns, 90 degrees, goes straight up, and into the attic.  In the attic it does a 45 degree bed and travels directly to the roof.  The vent is somewhere between 18 and 20 feet long.

I have had a long history of dryers lasting only a short time.  I typically get about 2-3 years out of a dryer.  The last dryer that died, I took apart and the dryer had all kinds of lint on the internal parts.  My prejudice is that since the vent does not work very well, the lint gets blown back into the dryer, and kills it.

BTW, I regularly clean the dryer vent with one of those brush, drill and extension flexible pole things.  I clean it about every 6 months and just did it the other day.

So my current dryer is acting up.  When vented to the duct, clothes will dry after about 4 or 5 70 minute cycles.  When I vent directly into the garage, the clothes dry in about 50 mins.  (This is done by running the flexible hose from the dryer through a door open to the garage.)

What can be done here?  Should I redo the duct through the roof?  Should I pursue venting directly into the garage?  Who is qualified to do this kind of work?  I don't think I can pull this one off myself.

Again, we live in Florida so it has not been bad leaving the door to the garage open as it has been pretty cool, but in the summer this would stress our AC unit and run up our electric bill.

Add both a secondary lint trap and a dryer duct booster fan. Fantech and Tjernlund are a couple brands to help you start your search.

Also, replacing any easily accessible flexible duct with rigid ducts can help prevent lint from building up.

Finally, check that the exhaust louver/vent cap outside isn't filled with lint too. Sometimes contractors use dual use intake/exhaust vents and forget to take the intake screen/mesh/filter out that is used to keep bugs from flying inside when used as an intake.

my dryer recently stopped working and gave me a D80 code which meant it was 80% blocked. I bought one of those long dryer brush/drill extensions and had minimal results. I watched a video of a guy cleaning his vents with a leaf blower. Worked like a charm. I would go to Home Depot and buy one, clean your vent, and return it.


How can I repair this small hole in my basement floor? Last summer I noticed water coming up from my basement, always in the same spot. The rest of the basement is bone dry and we have french drains so I was baffled. This winter, I tore up the tile that was in that area, and lo and behold, I found a hole roughly the size of a golf ball. I am not able to confirm whether this is where the water is coming from because nothing is leaking in winter, but this is the exact spot water always pooled from, so I assume it is groundwater coming up.

We are recent owners of the house, so I have no idea how the hole got there. I want to fill it. Someone warned me about water pressure building up if I did that, but there is a large sump hole very close to this.

Here are some pictures with my finger for scale:

How do I fill this?

Your best bet is Hydraulic cement. There should be directions on the tin, but it boils down to clean the hole and fill it up. I'm partial to nitrile (or latex) gloves and stuffing it in by hand for something that size. The gloves because some people have skin reactions to cement; also you can throw the gloves away rather than rinsing cement down your drain.

If you do use your fingers to pack it in you'll still want a tool to flatten off the patch. Either a paint stirrer dragged sideways or putty knife should do nicely. It's not exactly the job you need a trowel for.

It sounds like you're right about the pressure, the water should migrate to the drain. If that hole was relieving enough pressure to buckle the floor I'd expect it to be gushing like you'd struck oil.

First I would wait until it is during your rain season so you can confirm that the hole is causing the issue.  Unless you are facing some sort of water damage issues you might as well be sure what is going on and fix everything at once.

If it is just a small hole like yours I would just get a urethane repair kit like this one.  This can be used wet/dry and performs better than epoxy alternatives.


Does my house just not have a plumbing cleanout? So I've just bought my first house and before we fully move in, we've been doing some work (floors, painting, etc.). I noticed at some point that if someone is using the shower or flushing a toilet, it seems you can hear gurgling in all the other pipes. I knew this wasn't good and then it happened - the toilet on the ground floor overflowed with sewage while someone was taking a shower upstairs. Super.

So in the house closing, they included a home warranty. Yesterday (I wasn't there for this; this is what I was told) the plumber finally came and was very confused because he couldn't find the plumbing cleanout. My husband didn't know where it was either since we've just moved in. We looked at the home inspection report and it's not mentioned in the plumbing section. The plumber had to leave and says he'll send someone else with a smaller tool or something (I thought usually they just take the toilet off but whatever).

Anyway. The house was built in 1994. Is it common that even fairly modern houses just don't have plumbing cleanouts? This seems very strange to me. I've seen things online saying sometimes they've been cut off and buried for aesthetic/mowing purposes or drywalled behind walls or something but we're only the third owners of this house so I don't know if that would be the case.

I guess I'm asking two things: 1. obviously I suppose it's possible that it doesn't exist but is it probable considering the plumber couldn't find it after searching or is he maybe a moron? I didn't spend any time looking last night because I got home fairly late (I have a lot more plumbing knowledge than my husband although still meager and up 'til now have never lived in a house younger than the 1920s); and, 2. I realize it will probably be expensive to have one installed in the event that it doesn't exist; should I put it on my saving-up-for list? The house is in a cul-de-sac kind of at the bottom of a hill so I'm worried about this.

Appreciate any help/insight. Thank you.

Edit: Sorry, not enough info. The house is on a slab; no basement or crawlspace. It is hooked up to a municipal line (city sewer/water).

The cleanout would typically be at the base of the main plumbing stack and/or just inside or outside the home. When located outside, it's common for them to get buried over with landscaping. You should also have one every 100' to the connection with the municipal sewer. When located inside, they may be in the wall with a removable cover on the drywall instead of a large plug in the floor.

That said, I believe most plumbers would just pull the toilet and snake it from there. You know the clog is downstream of that toilet, and you know that all drain connections from the toilet down should be at least 3" to run a large snake down the line.

Here a bit more of the requirements for a cleanout from the 2012 plumbing code which I doubt have changed much since your home was built (mine in the early 1980s has the cleanout at the base of the stack and another in the front yard). Note there are lots of exceptions, like not requiring cleanouts for anything above the bottom floor of the residence that can be found in the source link:

  2012 International Plumbing Code - Cleanout requirements:

  IPC - Section 708 Cleanouts

  IPC - 708.1 Scope. This section shall govern the size, location,
  installation and maintenance of drainage pipe cleanouts.

  IPC - 708.2 Cleanout plugs. Cleanout plugs shall be brass or plastic,
  or other approved materials. Brass cleanout plugs shall be utilized
  with metallic drain, waste and vent piping only and shall conform to
  ASTM A 74, ASME A112.3.1 or ASME A112.36.2M. Cleanouts with
  plate-style access covers shall be fitted with corrosion-resisting
  fasteners. Plastic cleanout plugs shall conform to the requirements of
  Section 702.4. Plugs shall have raised square or countersunk square
  heads. Countersunk heads shall be installed where raised heads are a
  trip hazard. Cleanout plugs with borosilicate glass systems shall be
  of borosilicate glass.

  IPC - 708.3 Where required. Cleanouts shall be located in accordance
  with Sections 708.3.1 through 708.3.6.

  IPC - 708.3.1 Horizontal drains within buildings. All horizontal
  drains shall be provided with cleanouts located not more than 100 feet
  (30 480 mm) apart.

  IPC - 708.3.2 Building sewers. Building sewers shall be provided with
  cleanouts located not more than 100 feet (30 480 mm) apart, measured
  from the upstream entrance of the cleanout. For building sewers 8
  inches (203 mm) and larger, manholes shall be provided and located not
  more than 200 feet (60 960 mm) from the junction of the building drain
  and building sewer, at each change in direction and at intervals of
  not more than 400 feet (122 m) apart. Manholes and manhole covers
  shall be of an approved type.

  IPC - 708.3.3 Changes of direction. Cleanouts shall be installed at
  each change of direction greater than 45 degrees (0.79 rad) in the
  building sewer, building drain and horizontal waste or soil lines.
  Where more than one change of direction occurs in a run of piping,
  only one cleanout shall be required for each 40 feet (12 192 mm) of
  developed length of the drainage piping.

  IPC - 708.3.4 Base of stack. A cleanout shall be provided at the base
  of each waste or soil stack.

  IPC - 708.3.5 Building drain and building sewer junction. There shall
  be a cleanout near the junction of the building drain and the building
  sewer. The cleanout shall be either inside or outside the building
  wall and shall be brought up to the finished ground level or to the
  basement floor level. An approved two-way cleanout is allowed to be
  used at this location to serve as a required cleanout for both the
  building drain and building sewer. The cleanout at the junction of the
  building drain and building sewer shall not be required if the
  cleanout on a 3-inch (76 mm) or larger diameter soil stack is located
  within a developed length of 10 feet (3048 mm) of the building drain
  and building sewer connection. The minimum size of the cleanout at the
  junction of the building drain and building sewer shall comply with
  Section 708.7.

  IPC - 708.3.6 Manholes. Manholes serving a building drain shall have
  secured gas-tight covers and shall be located in accordance with
  Section 708.3.2.

  IPC - 708.4 Concealed piping. Cleanouts on concealed piping or piping
  under a floor slab or in a crawl space of less than 24 inches (610 mm)
  in height or a plenum shall be extended through and terminate flush
  with the finished wall, floor or ground surface or shall be extended
  to the outside of the building. Cleanout plugs shall not be covered
  with cement, plaster or any other permanent finish material. Where it
  is necessary to conceal a cleanout or to terminate a cleanout in an
  area subject to vehicular traffic, the covering plate, access door or
  cleanout shall be of an approved type designed and installed for this
  purpose.

  IPC - 708.5 Opening direction. Every cleanout shall be installed to
  open to allow cleaning in the direction of the flow of the drainage
  pipe or at right angles thereto.

  IPC - 708.6 Prohibited installation. Cleanout openings shall not be
  utilized for the installation of new fixtures, except where approved
  and where another cleanout of equal access and capacity is provided.

  IPC - 708.7 Minimum size. Cleanouts shall be the same nominal size as
  the pipe they serve up to 4 inches (102 mm). For pipes larger than 4
  inches (102 mm) nominal size, the size of the cleanout shall be not
  less than 4 inches (102 mm).

 Source: http://plumbingengineer.com/content/code-requirements-drainage-system-cleanouts

Check on the roof.  There might be a cylinder stack around where the main drain line is located.


Can a 15 amp and 20 amp share a ground? I uncovered a metal junction box that was behind a wall (I'll fix this, I know it should be accessible). I looked inside and found the following: a 20-amp circuit (12 ga wire) and a separate 15-amp circuit (14 ga wire). It all looked good at first; however, then I noticed that the ground wire from the 15 amp was connected to the ground wire for the 20 amp. The circuits are not otherwise shared (hot and neutral of each circuit are separated). I think the person did this because the 15 amp circuit coming from the breaker uses a flexible metal tube with 2 wires with fabric coating inside (the house was built in 1940 or so), and the circuit was "extended" using 14-2 w/ ground to include some other receptacles and lights. Technically the metal tube would be clamped to the box and the ground wire for the 15-amp circuit attached to the box with a green screw. Should I fix this or is it ok to have the two circuits share a ground? I did a lot of searching and it looks like they can share as long as the larger gauge can handle 70% of the smaller, which it can (70% of 15 is 10.5). I asked a friend who is an electrician and he said it was ok; however I want a 2nd opinion. Thanks.

Edit: this is different from another, yet similar, question because this involves two different amp circuits, and this one involves BX cable.

Edit again: Thanks for the answers. Running a new ground from the box to the bus is an unrealistic option. Regarding another comment: The 12-ga ground wire isn't connected to the BX except for incidental contact with the box.

Since there's room, should I separate the two in separate boxes?  I would ground the 14-2 to the metal box and be sure the BX is clamped good and tight.

Picture description: lower right 12-2 connects with yellow 12-2. Armored comes from bottom and connects with the two 14-2 coming out the top. (I traced the armored to the box, so it is grounded the best that stuff can be; built in 1940.) Ground wires (grounding conductor) for both are twisted together. There was a green screw in there, showing evidence that at some point the possibility that the grounds for the 14-2s were connected to the box.

It doesn't sound like the #14 and #12 grounding wires being connected is the issue, to me.

EDIT:

  NEC 250.148 (C) Metal Boxes. A connection shall be made between the
  one or more equipment grounding conductors and a metal box by means of
  a grounding screw that shall be used for no other purpose, equipment
  listed for grounding, or a listed grounding device.

The OP uploaded a picture showing that the #12 is an independent circuit, in new 12/2 w/ground NM cable. So what you actually have is grounding via the BX armor, presuming that the BX tightly clamped in both this box and the service panel, and grounding through the #12 wire in the 12/2 circuit, and the two should be bonded together to the metal box.

The ground path through the BX is likely to have higher resistance than the ground path through that nice clean #12 copper. The metal box has to be grounded no matter what. I say leave all the grounds bonded together and to the box, and make sure the BX clamp is clean and tight at the junction box and back at the panel. If you're really concerned about the grounding through the BX sheath, try to run another lone ground wire back to the panel, or pull new NM cable to replace the BX.

Also, you would get a much tighter connection between the armored cable and the box using a better clamp than the one built-in to that old box, something like one of the following (that red plastic bushing protects the wires from sharp edges, so you never energize your grounding system accidentally):

END EDIT

All of the grounds in your house are ultimately bonded together, anyway, to zero the voltage differential all over your house (Neutrals are different! The neutrals are only bonded to the grounding bus in the main panel, nowhere else, and neutrals can only be shared by two circuits under specific conditions).

You wouldn't want a large circuit using a too-skinny conductor for grounding, though.

It sounds to me as if the original circuit is possibly BX armored cable, and the flexible conduit itself is the only grounding conductor going back from this junction box to the panel.

This not up to current code if the flexible metal conduit is the only ground path--there can be continuity problems through the flexible armor. BX was actually demarketed for a while, then came back as armored cable with a metal bonding strip that makes contact with the flexible conduit all along it's length to ensure a good ground path.

However; if you can somehow run a #12 bare or green-insulated wire back from that junction box to the panel (route it up through the attic?) and bond it to the grounding bus inside the panel, as well as to both the #12 and #14 wires, and the BX armor in the junction box by using the right metal clamps and bonding the wire to the metal box, you'd be perfectly fine.

Having said all that, I guess somebody could argue that some grounding through the BX armor is better than no grounding. But if you're in there messing around, you want to do it right and bring it up to code.

I think this is partially common sense. If the total combined load exceeds 2x the branch circuit grounds capacity then you should not piggyback more grounds into the branch circuit.

For example a # 10 copper ground will hold up to 60 amps.  This is why #6-3 NM ground is sized as #10, not as a # 6.

That is 2x the capacity of the non-grounded conductors.

Anything over 60 amps is specifically specified in the NEC.


Using a heater and toaster oven trips the breaker. Can an electrician fix this? Using a heater and a toaster oven together, both about 1500w each, trips the breaker. It seems both are on the same circuit. Moving either appliance to a different location is not really an option.
Can an electrician do something so that this load can be handled? I want to get an idea of his work.. what will he do?

There is something you can do:  Do not turn on both appliances at the same time!

This is relatively straightforward for the combination of a heater and toaster.  Unless you are a toast making factory, the toaster runs like 3 minutes per day.  During that time, turn off the heater.

I had a similar problem with a toaster and microwave.  The breaker was old (circa 1975).  I replaced it.  Problem solved.


Can Armored Cable and Nonmetallic sheathed cable be used together? Can metal jacket wiring, that uses the metal jacket as a ground, be used with conventional Romex wiring?

If both wiring methods are allowed in your area then both can be used together.

As always, proper terminations and grounding must be considered.

Also be very careful. Even though you have AC cable, the older stuff, like what you have, is rarely an accepted or safe grounding path. These circuits cannot be extended.

The answer for these sort of questions is generally, "Ask your permitting authority". It depends on the regulations in your area.


What is the name of the resetting ratchet component found most often in head rests? There is a component which I've seen most often in car seat headrests which acts as a ratchet.  You can pull the headrest forward and it will lock at steps until you pull it too far, and it will reset all the way back.
It's sort of a ratchet mechanism which resets after a certain range of motion.
I don't know what it's called.  I've tried "resetting ratchet", "resetting step lock", and many other queries.
Do you know the name of this component?

I've found them called "Headrest Hinge" on Amazon and Ebay.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=headrest+hinge

Mine just stop at the limit and the simple position control is a spring loaded ball and detent.


Window caulk gets a gap in winter I have a front window that has about a 1/32 inch gap in the summer, but about a 1/4 inch gap in the winter. The original caulk completely came loose and allowed condensation from the window to get into the wall. Worried about this, I removed the caulk and re-caulked it this fall when there was only the small gap. The other day I noticed that the caulk had come free on one side already. I had scraped all the old caulk off and cleaned with alcohol before applying the new caulk. I used silicone caulk.

What is the trick for this? I have noticed that wherever a surface that needs to be caulked touched an outside wall that this is common. Any tips?

EDIT: the surfaces involved are the plastic window frame and a plastic window sill. The area needing caulked is similar to what is shown here (the lower right arrow) except the sill-surface is plastic. Or similar to this pic where the water is puddling (this is not my window)

Sometimes pure silicon will not stick well to vinyl.  I suggest you use a siliconized Acrylic caulk that matches color or could be painted if needed. Be sure to force the caulk into the void with your gun, then round it off smoothly. Be sure to fill deeply into the gap between the window unit and jams. If they are recent model vinyl cased windows, there is no reason to consider replacement.

You already stated that you are using Silicon based caulking, so my only real suggestion would be to try a wider bead of caulk which will hopefully allow a little more flex and not separate from one source.  You later describe the issue as being from the plastic frame to the plastic window sill, almost sounds as though this window might need to be replaced.  Barring that Duct Tape will fix just about anything :)


Why do decks and porches have cracks between the boards? Is there a functional reason, like helping with rainfall or snow, or is it more of a cost issue?

Are there decks that are solid pieces of bonded wood?

The main reason for the gaps is to give wood room to expand and contract as moisture levels in the wood changes due to it being exposed to the weather. Without that spacing, the wood may expand and buckle, damaging the deck, and requiring repairs beyond the simple popped nail.

As answered above, usually the spacing between decking timbers is to allow for moisture to escape. Also some timber will expand when wet so the gaps do allow timber to expand/contract freely.


Hot water doesn't come out of faucet right away and makes banging noise when it does This happens on every faucet in the house. Sometimes, when you first turn on the hot water, it comes out (just the pressure in the line) and then it runs slow and stops.  Then, a banging noise happens and the water starts.  At other times, there is a banging noise at the time the hot water faucet is turned on.  More recently, there is a slight banging noise in the pipes after flushing the toilet (which is cold water).  I have tried reducing the water temp on the hot water heater.  I considered buying a water pressure gauge to see what our household water pressure is.  Is this a problem with the entire water system or perhaps the hot water tank pressure regulator?

Likely problems

Over-pressure from the street.  Solution is installing a pressure reducer just after the main shutoff.
Missing or leaking "water hammer arrestor", which is a vertical pipe with air in it or a tank with an air bladder, meant to soften sharp pressure changes.

Water temperature is not a likely candidate except at the extremes.  If you have a local tool library, or perhaps home store, they may loan out pressure gauges.

Normally you associate a bang in the pipe due to water hammer but that occurs on faucet turn off, however if the temperature in the heater gets high enough to create steam the steam will locate at the top of the tank so when you turn on the hot water faucet the steam then enters the line and can make a noise so first thing to do is run the hot water at a point closest to the tank and measure the water temperature....easy to do. Temperature must be under 140 degrees and more like 130 for safety.


Is a sagging floor possibly detrimental? I live in a house built in the early 1900's. The dining room, which is in the center of the house, sags enough to where you could set a marble in the middle and it will always roll to one side.

The main beam running the length of the house in the basement has a support jack installed, but is it dangerous or detrimental to the property to have so much sagging in a particular room?

I had to have a structural engineer take a look at my house before I closed on it.  I have a roughly 1" sag in the middle of left half of my house where a pole was removed.  According to the structural engineer this would not get any worse and is "safe", aside from any annoyance it causes.  Yours may be a different situation, so I'd recommend having someone come out and take a look.  I believe mine ran me about $450.00 for the consultation.  Money well spent to know I won't fall through my floor at night.

If you own the home, definitely make plans to re-block it. If your renting, pressure the landlord a little bit to get it re-blocked. I wouldn't want to live in a house that could possibly cause accidents because of rotting floor joists.


How do I mount a power strip to the smooth metal support structure of a banquet table? I bought a heavy-duty power strip from Walmart which I would like to mount to the metal support structure of a banquet table.

This is the power strip:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/49557487

This is the banquet table:
https://www.staples.com/product_1321933

There is a smooth metal surface along the under edge of the table to which adds mechanical support. It is roughly the same height as the power strip is wide and is a perfect place to hide the strip to be used for connecting a number of electronics.

The problem I have is that I don't know how to go about securing the strip. I tried 3M Scotch 30lb mounting tape:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/203405976

This worked OK for a while but the weight of the strip itself caused it to tilt over time until it finally detached from the adhesive. The adhesive held just fine to the table but was weak at bonding with the plastic of the strip.

The back of the strip has what appear to be two mounting holes in the form of a cross (one on each end) which I believe is meant for mounting:

I have no problem punching a hole in the metal frame to mount this but I don't know what tool would be required to perform this task. The metal appears to be 1/4" steel and has a lip on the bottom which would prevent me from using some kind of punch which must clamp flush with a piece of sheet metal.

What is the proper way to go about mounting this strip so that it is secure and won't fall off again but will allow removal for later transportation. Note that removal isn't as important but the strip does have a fuse and it would be useful to be able to easily swap it out if it does break at some point in the future.

Regardess of the intent of the cross, the metal endcap of the power strip has a hole shaped like a gourd (or like a male chicken and globes, if you have a dirty mind).

That is designed to be used with a screw mounting. The screw should be chosen so the head just fits through the larger diameter, but only the shaft fits in the slot.  Slide the screw head theough the hole, slide it down into the slot, then tighten the screw tight so it can't move.

Now only a firm sideward pull will dislodge it.  You can stop that by a cleverly placed additional screw.

If your steel is even 1/16", I would consider drilling and tapping the hole for the screw.

use zip ties to attach the strip to the bar


Wet blocks AFTER French drain and weep holes I had water leaking in my cellar from bottom of floor. Water was NOT on blocks at all. Now after French drains and weeping holes put in, the cinder blocks along the bottom of floor are wet. Will this damage my foundation, over time?

It sounds like your water table is very close to the floor level. It's not necessarily damaging to the concrete, after all hydration is what actually cures concrete and concrete peirs are largely unaffected even after hundreds of years sitting in water. Lumber and your possessions in the house are of a concern. I would suspect that you would benift from at least a sump pump and even better, a weeping system tied into the sump pump.

Yes, the water leaking into your cellar can cause problems like mold, and decay of mortar, etc.

Sounds like the French drain was not installed BELOW the basement slab.

Water flows in the direction of least resistance. You have now installed a perf pipe that collects water by the wall...then, because the water has been collected above and next to the slab, it can seep into the basement.

Moisture is either coming up from below (a rising water table) or its coming from the surrounding ground water in the saturated soil.

If it comes up from a rising water table, it will enter the living space from below through the crack between the foundation wall and slab.

If it comes from the surrounding ground water, it COULD enter the living space through the wall, especially if the EXTERIOR side of the foundation wall is not sealed properly.
Either way the moisture enters the living space it will need to be collected and disposed. I think the best way to collect it is on the exterior side of the foundation wall in drainrock and a perf pipe laid 6”-8” BELOW the interior basement slab.

To keep the subsurface water from seeping through the wall, I recommend installing a moisture barrier on the exterior side of the foundation wall and install a 2” thick plastic mesh on the wall to allow water to flow down to the perf pipe. If dirt is allowed to be backfilled against the wall, the dirt could hold the moisture giving it a chance to seep through the wall.

Once collected it needs to be disposed by extending a solid pipe over an embankment or in a collection well and pumped away.

This may be the most expensive method of solving the problem, but it’s sure to work.


Will faced insulation behind poly sheeting trap moisture? I insulated an exterior wall in my shower. I had some faced insulation to use up so put it in the wall with the paper to the outside, no staples or tape. I have 6 mil plastic for interior vapor barrier. Will the facing trap too much moisture? There’s no housewrap on the exterior with gaps in the sheeting and vinyl siding. I’m in cold weather state of Wisconsin.

We don't use plastic sheeting for vapor barrier (on warm side of wall) anymore. We've learned that moisture (vapor) will get past the plastic sheeting (I.e.: around outlets, switches, vents, etc.) and then not be able to "move" back out of the wall. Then, that creates rot.

Also, the paper vapor barrier needs to be moved to the warm side of the wall.


Expanding closet opening to its fullest I have a closet in my kitchen that currently acts as our pantry.
It looks like any standard closet with two sliding doors and shelves on the interior.
It has a header above it for two sliding doors and the sides come in about 10 inches.

    _________________
    |               |
    |               |
    |__           __|  Top view
     ^             ^

I am wondering if it is feasible to cut out the header and side walls (where the ^ is) in order to maximize the space it takes up.  Then insert a set of cabinets up top, a counter in the middle and then a set of drawers and cabinets beneath the counter.

The house is a colonial built in 1981 and I would verify this closet has no load bearing purpose before I did anything.  We are identifying ways to improve storage and use in our kitchen and I am hoping this would be a feasible option.

Is this crazy town to consider this? Or a common overhaul?  What sort of issues might I face in doing something like this?

How easy this project is, will depend on the underlying framing.  There's two ways these corners could have been framed.
Side walls to the end
This will make what you want to do fairly easy.

Top down view of the framing
End walls to the side
This is the more likely of the two. Which means you'll either have to build out the corner, or lose 3 1/2" (+drywall thickness) in closet depth. Though I guess you're not really losing anything, from the interior dimensions of the original closet.

Top down view of the framing
Aside from that. As long as the closet is not bearing, it shouldn't be too much work.

If you want to do it then you can do it! For professional results a cabinet builder will be the right person to give you ideas and an estimate. For DIY you could measure the clear opening height, width, and depth you will be left with once you remove the header and front returns (side walls) and research pre-built options that will fit. I am not a huge fan of that Swedish furniture supplier (*kea), but they do have lots of pre-built cabinets and counters.


Is insulating an unfinished basement worth it? If so, how should I go about it? I have an unfinished, well waterproofed basement with cinderblock walls and a concrete floor. All but the top 6 inches / 15 cm or so is underground.

Would it be worth insulating the walls down there? How would I do it? We have pretty long, cold winters and the summers are generally mild - a few 90 degree F days, but mostly high 70s to 80s.

Absolutely it's worth insulating.

Concrete is a poor insulator.  8" concrete blocks have an R-value of 1.1 - about the same as 3/4" particleboard.

In my neck of the woods the frost line is about 3' down. So, assuming that a house here has a 40x40 foot square footprint and the basement is 8' high:

160 lineal feet x 6" = 80 square feet exposed to air;
160 lineal feet x 3' deep = 480 square feet exposed to ground above the frost line;
160 lineal feet x 4.5' deep = 720 square feet exposed to ground below the frost line.

Calculate the heat loss, using the formula (Area * (Tinside - Toutside) / (thermal_resistance) See here for a complete explanation

Assuming it's 0F outside and 70 inside (you said long and cold :) ), we'll say the above the frost line is 20F and below is 40F.

Above ground: 80*70/1.1 = 5091 BTU/hr
Frost line: 480*50/1.1 = 21818 BTU/hr
Below Frost line: 720*30/1.1 = 19636 BTU/hr
Total: 46545 BTU/hr.

Now sheath and insulate with R20 insulation.  Call it an effective R15 due to thermal bridging by the studs and because you don't do this every day so there are some gaps, etc.  Then your total comes to 3414 BTU/hr.  You save more than 16,000 BTUs/hr, or almost 400,000 BTUs/day.

In a 6 month winter that's 72 million BTUs.

Your $ savings will depend on the price of energy in your area, what you're heating with etc.  $15/million BTUs is not unusual: that's higher than it was in Alberta where I'm from, but lower than California where I'm at now.

Considering that it's underground and insulated by 5 or so inches of concrete, so I would bet it's already much better insulated that the rest of your house.  Also, in the winters the ground temp is usually warmer than the air temp, so that would tend do make things even better.

If it's cold down there in the winter it's probably because you don't have any heat vents in the basement (many houses don't, or they are always closed).

If you have those crappy single-pane "basement windows" though, I would recommend you replace them with glass block.  That would almost certainly be worth the money.


drywall patch replacement I used a patch kit to fix a 1/4" hole in drywall and the patch is too raised and visible. Is there a way I can undo the patch and try a different solution? There are 2 separate holes, both are patched and sanded, one also has primer over it.

I recently learned on a trrick on ajob site for this problem. Use a utility knife to cut around the hole. Use some thing as a template to trace aroud before cuttng.
Then use the same template and cut anew pice of sheet rock the same size. But taper it like you would if you were cutting the top of a jack o lantern. It will slide in perfectly with a little mud around the edges it will stay in place and stay flush or just slightly off.
You can then fill or sand to get it flush.

It works perfect and is very easy. Not a lot of skill involved