Newest Questions
92,375 questions
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Is it possible to install NEMA 14-50 outlet in ceiling of garage?
I live in a 3 story house in a flood zone. The first level, where the garage is at, is technically not living quarters, probably because it can easily flood. I noticed all the standard outlets on the ...
- 451
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0
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12
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Air compressor doesn't start reliably [closed]
My Hitachi EC89 electric air compressor doesn't start reliably. In the following situations, the motor doesn't start, and its circuit breaker pops after a few seconds.
Sometimes on a cold start, tank ...
- 671
1
vote
0
answers
17
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Can natural gas pipe be bonded to ground via water pipes instead of directly?
My natural gas pipe (black iron) has never been bonded to my electrical system, but I am pretty sure that it is supposed to be.
2017 NEC 250.104(B)(1) says that this can be accomplished by connecting ...
- 3,127
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vote
0
answers
14
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Protection for ends of aluminum water pipe bonding wire running across a block wall?
I recently added a new main breaker panel outside my house, converting my previous main panel into a subpanel. My house was built in 1979 when having a ground only to the water pipes was sufficient. ...
- 3,127
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1
answer
15
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How can I clean and seal silicone caulk in a shower?
We just installed a glass shower enclosure on a shower base, and our contractor used clear silicone to seal everything.
How can I keep it looking clean without rubbing off or removing the silicone?
...
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0
answers
10
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How to finish trimming door in brick opening?
Question is how to finish this door trim so it looks well done.
This brick opening was a bit oversized in width and height and now leaving me with some extra gaps around my brickmoulding.
In hindsight,...
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votes
1
answer
20
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Any tips for installing sleeve anchors in concrete?
I was helping a friend install stirrup posts into a concrete slab for a deck. We ran into some surprisingly frustrating issues with installing the posts using sleeve anchors. I'm wondering if anyone ...
- 273
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1
answer
46
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Does a long narrow stain on my ceiling indicate water damage?
I noticed today I have this strange stain on my ceiling (see the picture below). It's not easy to notice, at first I thought it was a shadow. The stain is about 3-4 feet long, 3 inches wide at most.
I ...
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votes
1
answer
25
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Kitchen hood problem
my kitchen extractor fan has stopped working and I'm trying to figure out why.
It started when the light and the fan wouldn't work at the same time.
Then, sometimes the fan would stop after about 30 ...
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votes
2
answers
29
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Can I use polymer modified cement patching compound to flatten subfloor boards?
There are products in this category named Fast-Setting, Polymer-Modified, Cement-Based Patching Compound that can be applied to wood floors to fill up gaps and imperfections. They are not self ...
- 3,789
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37
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How to protect NMB next to new metal vent
I'm cutting a hole through my exterior walls to allow for an exterior vented microwave fan for kitchen smoke.
The NMB cable powering the microwave is in the same cavity as the hole, and may end up ...
- 310
5
votes
1
answer
310
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Metal Eletrical Back Box Keeps Stripping Threads from Screw
This is my first time posting here, so I apologize in advance if I'm not doing it correctly.
One of my metal electrical outlet back boxes keep stripping the threads from the screw whenever I tried to ...
- 51
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votes
1
answer
16
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Aerator replacement - unknown non-threaded type?
I have a faucet without aerator (the way I got it). It seem to be non-threaded - something to slde on, friction held one? There was a loose plastic ring with a crown inside. No thread inside. The OD ...
- 59
1
vote
1
answer
55
views
What type of material is this under my kitchen?
I have a crawlspace under my kitchen. There appears to be something that is covering the joists but I have no idea what it is.
My question is:
What is this material?
Is it moldy?
If I want to ...
- 11
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0
answers
32
views
How can I stabilize a parquet wood floor laid over uneven cork subfloor?
I made the mistake of starting off using cork under parquet to even out slightly ridged subfloor rather than doing all self levelling compound. Unsurprisingly, the floor is bouncy and a bit uneven. ...
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votes
3
answers
60
views
Help identifying home water shutoff valve
I'm trying to identify the water shutoff valve for my home. I believe this is the line where the water enters my home, however turning the valve to a close position does not stop the flow of water to ...
- 123
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0
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37
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Safe way to mount ~500 lb swing to 2×6 ceiling joists? [duplicate]
I want to hang an indoor swing rated for up to ~500 lb of people from a finished ceiling with 2×6 joists (drywall below, open attic above).
I’m considering two approaches and would like feedback:
...
1
vote
1
answer
43
views
Where to connect a Blue C wire at the furnace?
I’m trying to hookup a smart thermostat. Right now I have a thermostat with just the red and white wire hooked up at the thermostat and furnace. I do see I have the blue common wire but not used in ...
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1
answer
47
views
Can I screw cement board directly to a cinder block basement wall and parge the cement board?
I have this painted cinder block foundation wall in my basement and I would like to make it smooth, I am wondering if I could screw cement board to the wall with tapcons and then skim the cement board ...
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0
answers
39
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Removing metal bathroom niche
There is an old metal niche in my 1937 home right by the sink. I’d like to remove it, but I cannot figure out how to unhook it from the wall.
It was painted and I removed the layers of paint and there’...
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0
answers
20
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Dirty water from hot water holding tank
I recently had an air well system installed to get rid of radon and it caused a ton of sediment to come into the house. I have an oil burning cast iron boiler with a 50 gal holding tank. Once I got ...
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2
votes
2
answers
388
views
Fixing Leak in Icemaker water supply
I have a Frigidaire FFSS2615TS0 refrigerator, which is chilling and freezing well.
We recently observed a leak in the icemaker water inlet. See the yellow circle in the picture.
The leak has gotten ...
- 133
-2
votes
0
answers
31
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PoE dome/turret camera with RJ45 inside housing [closed]
I need 7 PoE dome or turret cameras for my new house. I will mount them on (brick) walls, where I have a 16mm tube at each location to run CAT6 ethernet cable through. At the last moment before ...
- 97
3
votes
1
answer
248
views
Best way to splice an old 8/2 cable with no ground?
I am getting a new oven range tomorrow and while disconnecting the current one I found out the uninvited guest I had in my house a few years ago had been chewing its way through the wire for the oven. ...
- 31
3
votes
1
answer
286
views
Any concerns using blown-in cellulose without blower in a small cavity between cathedral ceiling and roof?
The living room of my '20s house has a cathedral ceiling (a trapezoidal ceiling). Most of it is accessible from the attic and insulated with fiberglass batts. However, on the right side (and a tiny ...
- 1,880
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votes
0
answers
46
views
Is my plan for a retaining wall at the edge of canyon slope reasonable? [closed]
My backyard ends at the edge of a canyon that slopes at 35 degrees. I want to put a wall using retaining wall blocks at the edge to serve as a demarcating line plus some minor soil erosion control ...
- 141
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0
answers
27
views
Insulate ductwork in an insulated basement?
I live in New England in a house that was built in 1972. The ductwork is slightly newer (10ish years old). The ducts are leaky at some spots and while the duct gets hot close to the furnace, by the ...
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votes
1
answer
108
views
Why does part of a lighting circuit no longer have power?
I have a 12 gauge BX line and that line was feeding two more pendant lights, so three lights in total. I initially installed pendant light number one and pendant light number two and both worked.
...
- 179
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votes
3
answers
82
views
Pull-string light to control outlet or lights downstream?
I'm installing a pull-string light at the entrance of a closet, and I would like to install an outlet and maybe shelf lighting downstream from it. I'd like the pull-string to control all the fixtures ...
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5
votes
2
answers
432
views
To pretwist or not between two solids and one stranded?
I’m installing pendant lights. There are two 12 gauge solid wires that my contractor already pretwisted. I need to connect them with 18 gauge stranded from light fixture. I lead with 1/8” stranded but ...
- 179
0
votes
2
answers
73
views
Is using something like Spin-Twist Wire Connector Socket Wrench safe? [closed]
I’m installing some pendant lights in my house. I don’t do this often but I do lots of reading and research and take care to do things safely. I’m wondering if using a tool to tighten wire nut would ...
- 179
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votes
1
answer
43
views
Well pressure stays low before switch cut-on
I noticed our well was short cycling (coming on and off quickly) so I turned off the breaker, drained the tank and check the tank pressure and it read less than 10lbs. It hasn't been checked or ...
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votes
1
answer
156
views
What is this electrical device on my basement wall?
I have this electrical device on the wall in my basement. I don't know what it is. The house was built in 1970 in central Europe. Can I dismount this thing safely?
- 164
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votes
1
answer
50
views
How can I seal the door to my pellets tank against dust while refilling?
I recently exchanged my old oil heating system to pellets (yay!), which works great, but when my pellet tank was filled up, a tremendous amount of dust was released into my house.
The delivery guy ...
- 164
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0
answers
38
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I think my Pella french doors are seeping water
We installed new Pella french doors this summer. This is stainless steel exterior french doors, they came with the frame and threshold in a single piece, standard depth on the frame and threshold. ...
6
votes
4
answers
716
views
Diagnosing non-operational wired doorbell
I need help figuring out why my old wired doorbell doesn’t work. I currently have the button at the front door disconnected from the 2 wires.
When I test with a multimeter at the transformer, I’m ...
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1
vote
0
answers
54
views
Load Bearing Closets on Slab? [duplicate]
I have a backsplit built in the late 70s and we are looking at combining these two closets into 1, and adding a bench area for shoes and jackets.
Key info:
A steel beam runs length wise and supports ...
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2
votes
1
answer
65
views
What size union do I need for a replacement TRV?
I bought this house and the bedroom radiator pin was seized. I freed it but it became leaky; no amount of PTFE could repack the gland nut correctly. I have decided on replacing the TRV.
I bought a ...
-1
votes
0
answers
65
views
Leviton Outlet not working but has power at input wire [closed]
I have two outlet connected to the same breaker both outlet were shot so I have replaced both outlet receptacle with new Leviton regular outlet but none of them working. I checked voltage at input ...
3
votes
2
answers
278
views
Outdoor GFCI not working
I’ve got 2 outdoor lights in line with a 20amp GFCI receptacle. The receptacle would trip frequently so I replaced it with a new one. The new receptacle shows green but the lights don’t work. Tester ...
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0
answers
24
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How to manage the gap between the window and the sill
I had a new window installed and it sits deeper than the old window creating about a half-inch gap you see in the picture. The lumber supports (faintly visible in the picture) are available about ...
- 1,725
7
votes
1
answer
463
views
No way to vent the ridge, what do I do?
My roof has a continuous ridge beam, and it is not possible to vent through the ridge line. What do I do? I am afraid I do not have enough venting for my attic space.
It is a hip roof on the front, ...
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votes
1
answer
81
views
What if grounding wire isn’t long enough to go back into box?
I used one of the 12 gauge solid grounding wires to go around ground screw on crossbar. Ground screw isn’t tightened yet. Planning to connect 18 gauge stranded ground wire from pendant light w/ wire ...
- 179
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votes
0
answers
35
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Electrical work for hardwired oven
I am in the UK. I am doing a small modification of my kitchen that requires the oven to be moved to another position. I did have an hardwired cable coming from the fuse box.
To solve this, an ...
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3
votes
3
answers
138
views
Are nicks in ground wire dangerous?
I stripped the insulation from my ground wire in my light fixture metal box to attach to the ground screw. The ground wire was a bit twisted and I had some trouble removing insulation and I nicked (...
- 179
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votes
1
answer
37
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Relocate Dryer Vent Recessed in Corner
I recently bought a new dryer and learned that my dryer vent was placed in a horrible location. It is recessed in the corner of the small laundry room and has no lip to attach the vent to. I attempted ...
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5
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Is a proper wire nut connection possible if wires don’t twist?
I’m using the tan winged wire nuts to connect two 12 solid gauge and one 18 gauge stranded. I pretwisted the two 12 gauge. I cut the stranded wire 1/8” longer and led with that when I put the wire nut ...
- 179
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votes
0
answers
27
views
Pilot light keep going out on the water heater
I have a Rheem 50 gallon water heater and the pilot light keeps going out. Technician said I need a louver door to circulate the air flow. Is this true?
- 1
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0
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59
views
Wood blocking fastener [duplicate]
I am still planning on installing wood blocking between floor joists in order to stiffen up the floor. The floor area is approximately 12x12. I was going to snap a chalk line at mid span (6’) and add ...
- 51
5
votes
3
answers
557
views
Should wires stripped too small be redone? [closed]
I installed a pendant light. The light has 18 gauge stranded wire. I stripped it to 20 gauge stranded. I realized after I installed it. I know that’s not ideal. Should I take it down and redo?
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