Home Improvement

Tester101

12:44

Can anybody else tell what's going on here? I'm confused.

1

Q: Ceiling Fan: 3-way switch for light with fan controlled by switch built into fan. Odd wiring layout. Wiring assistance required

My electrician and I have parted ways. This has resulted in my having to finish off various projects. I have managed to get 2/3 lights operating the way they were intended. However, I am having extreme difficulty following the living room's switch loop--in particular how the living room would ret...

Chris Cudmore

me too.

Tester101

Even the title is confusing.

So far my diagram has 14/2 going from the panel to a junction box.

JNK

Are "Should I attempt this" type questions OK on DIY?

BMitch

@Tester101 TL;DR, poster should make a diagram. :)

@JNK I don't think we have an explicit exclusion, can you be a bit more specific?

JNK

@BMitch I bent the heck out of my garage door track this weekend and door won't close

it's a vertical section of track next to the door

but it looks like it's attached to the top section with rivets or something besides screws

so I don't know if I should attempt to find the part and replace it or just hire someone to do it

BMitch

12:57

In that case, the question should be "how should I fix this"

JNK

apologies if I went too specific :)

BMitch

we get a lot of odd questions like "should I replace all the pipes in my house" where the real question is "how do I deal with bad water"

JNK

got you

actually I'm seeing now that this is the common method of securing it

so I may try it before asking

It's like adding insult to injury if I have to hire someone to fix something I broke by being stupid

BMitch

I wonder what would happen if Homer Simpson and HAL 9000 actually met. Would HAL kill Homer for being a threat to the mission, or would Homer press the wrong button and turn off HAL by accident.

@JNK Just be careful of any tension springs, those things will take off a limb if you do something wrong around them.

JNK

I think HAL may find Homer difficult to read since he's used to dealing with intelligent life

@BMitch Noted :) The part I bent is ONLY the vertical part beside the door. It attaches to the horizontal where the spring is but it's by a bracket.

Tester101

13:04

@BMitch Here is my diagram so far.

BMitch

He may have fired his electrician too soon :/

Tester101

Sounds like it.

Chris Cudmore

13:44

@JNK You might be able to repair/replace the bent section, but if you have to remove the door to do so, call a professional. Re-tensioning those springs is just about the most dangerous job you can do (with the exception of working on high voltage live wires). People have lost arms tensioning garage door springs.

Niall C.

14:01

Is this really on-topic here?

2

Q: How can I set up a house-wide sound system?

My house has 2 bedrooms, a living room and a studio (Room for a computer, shelves, etc., don't know how it's called in the US), each one with a RJ-45 connection (LAN, Internet). I want to install speakers in the living room and that they could accept input from every one of the rooms. How can thi...

installation appliances speakers

The Ethernet is already installed, so it's about how to set up streaming audio over it.

BMitch

14:52

@NiallC. Yeah, maybe a question for superuser, I'll check with them.

Migrated. Thanks @NiallC.

Matthew PK

16:25

1

Q: How to cut threads on 2" PVC pipe?

I have some sections of 2" PVC and some Tee fittings that I need to join. On the Tee fittings, the main line is threaded and the outlets are smooth. How can I cut the threads in the straight sections to join with the threaded main line?

pvc

am I missing something here?

BMitch

@MatthewPK like a lot of questions lately, the problem is that they are asking the wrong question

he should have asked "how should I join these pipes" not "how do I alter this pipe so I can use this joint"

Aaron

garage door springs and attic stair springs

Matthew PK

"I want to drive in a large nail, should I use a glass bottle or an old shoe?"

Aaron

The silent killers

BMitch

@Aaron You've obviously never been in a car with me after a big Mexican dinner.

:)

Matthew PK

16:32

@Aaron did you ever watch Battlebots? The show where people built fighting robots?

There was one robot called Grendel that had a hammer-and-spike weapon driven by a garage-door spring. It took a few seconds to crank up... I saw it lose a match one because its spike drove a hole into the steel floor of the arena with so much force that it couldn't pull it out.

BMitch

@MatthewPK haven't we all?

I think you lose your nerd card if you haven't

Aaron

Efficiency of all-in-one grass seed bags vs separate grass seed and fertilizer?

Niall C.

16:50

@Aaron Does your lawn need exactly the amount and composition of fertilizer that the manufacturer added to the all-in-one?

Aaron

the short answer : I have no idea

the longer answer: I have no idea and I don't really care all that much and don't want to spend a lot of time figuring it out

Tester101

Did I miss anything?

0

A: What DIY tools are very critical for plumbing works and repair?

Wrenches Pipe Wrench You'll want at least 2 of these, of different sizes. Tongue-and-groove pliers These come in handy all the time, have a few pair at the ready at all times. Strap/Chain Wrench Sometimes you just need to get a good grip on a pipe, nothing beats a strap/chain wrench f...

Niall C.

@Tester101 The jokey bit at the end; a box is a bit too practical to qualify

Aaron

What is plumbers putty vs silicone caulk?

I'd also say several shammies for mopping up water

and a low pan like the kitty litter pan is invaluable to get under some things

@BMitch you can remove your comment (if you want to) from my hardwood floor transition A

I thought I had put in the image and I went to bed so I didn't notice

Niall C.

@Aaron That was a rhetorical question. I'd say go with the separate seed and fertilizer. But you could ask on Gardening and Landscaping where they need the questions

Tester101

17:03

@NiallC. Hows that?

Aaron

You're missing a few examples. — BMitch 2 days ago

Niall C.

@Tester101 Were you answering me but pinging @BMitch? Anyway, much better +1

Tester101

Oh yeah, sorry.

Niall C.

Hey! No fair editing a post after the two minutes is up!

BMitch

@Aaron No prob, I've lost count of my own goof-ups

@NiallC. This conversation only makes sense when looking at the edit history.

Tester101

17:21

I have this same problem. I had to buy a separate machine to get my clothes dry!

-3

Q: Why won't my washing machine dry my clothes?

Please my washing machine washes clothes but do not dry them ? have you an idea please ? washing machine: arthur martin 500T AW 575 electrolux the program is blocked on the value 4, it passes from 3 to 4 correctly but from 4 to 5 it's blocked (from 4 to 5 it dry the clothes )

washing-machine

Now I have one machine to wash clothes, and one to dry them. How inconvenient.

Niall C.

@Tester101 Combination washer/dryers are common in Europe

Combo washer dryer

A combo washer dryer (also known more simply as a washer-dryer in the UK) is a combination in a single cabinet of a washing machine and a clothes dryer. It should not be confused with a "stackable" combination of a separate washing machine and a separate clothes dryer. Combination washer dryers are popular amongst those living in smaller urban properties as they only need half the amount of space usually required for a separate washing machine and clothes dryer, and may not require an external air vent. Additionally, combination washer dryers allow clothes to be washed and dried "in on...

Tester101

@NiallC. Really? Do they cost twice as much?

Aaron

It's one unit?

Man, that would take forever to do clothes for a family

Unit not capable of > 1 stage pipelining!

Niall C.

@Tester101 Google shows me prices between $850 and $1500

Tester101

17:40

Could you imagine changing your plumbing out, every 5-10 years!?

1

Q: When should I change / replace my water pipe?

I was wondering when should we change our indoor water pipe? Should we change every 5 years or every 10 years? This is because recently, I notice that the water quality is not getting that good (cause my electric kettle have turn quite "rusty" when boiling the water). By the way, I know that w...

plumbing water pipe

PEX would probably be more popular if this was the case.

@Aaron Any last edits before your blog post is published tomorrow?

Aaron

18:04

@Tester101 I made a few small ones

BMitch

@Tester101 he might get more appropriate answers if he included his location. I tried to hint that when I said my answer was US specific.

Especially since I have reason to believe he's not in the US

I did avoid giving the sarcastic answer that most people change their pipes in the spring and fall after checking their smoke detector batteries.

Karl Katzke

19:16

Oh, boy. I'm gonna have a fun project update for y'all this week.

Aaron

20:13

0

Q: Will a 15A receptacle on a 20A circuit fail if I draw over 15A combined from each outlet?

OR: is the rating for the entire receptacle or each outlet individually? A common 15A receptacle has two outlets. If such a receptacle is attached to a 20A circuit, an 8A draw from each outlet will not trip the breaker. Should such a draw cause the receptacle to fail? Or is the rating for each ...

electrical

Outlets don't have magic ammeters in them

Karl Katzke

No. They just melt.

Aaron

I would estimate a near 0 chance of a 15A receptacle melting if passing 19A of current

Karl Katzke

Let me fix that for you: I would estimate a near zero chance of a properly wired 15A receptacle melting when passing 19A of current.

Now, an improperly wired one...

Which it seems like is 90% of the outlets in the houses I end up doing work in...

Can't find it right now, but i have a picture from a friend's apartment where they'd let some of the insulation get under the screw and was arcing for months before they noticed it...

Tester101

Your 20A breaker should trip before the receptacle fails.

Matthew PK

20:40

What I was getting at (and was Tester answered) was whether each plug was rated for 15A. His drawing demonstrates that it is

so my question title was poorly worded :P

now... where to find inexpensive CFL/LED floor bulbs....

Karl Katzke

20:57

@MatthewPK Yep, just not 15A simultaneously.

And sorry for the snarky response in here; I have a hole in my slab because of someone else's poor workmanship and it's got me a little grumpy.

Matthew PK

@KarlKatzke so you're saying that I can't draw 15A from both simultaneously? Then why is such an installation allowed?

As Tester101 demonstrated, I could remove the bridge and supply each plug with an individual 15A circuit and it would be perfectly fine

Karl Katzke

@MatthewPK Well, the breaker would trip for one. The outlet would be fine, but the circuit couldn't handle it.

Matthew PK

The breaker would not trip.

Karl Katzke

With 30A of draw on a 20A circuit?

Matthew PK

sorry, now we're a bit mixed up... Tester showed a pic of a separate conductor supplying each plug in the receptacle

imagine that each was a 20A circuit

Karl Katzke

21:05

Oh. Yeah. That's fine.

Matthew PK

Or, hell, imagine each was a 15A circuit

Karl Katzke

As long as the bridge wasn't there.

Matthew PK

right

so the gist of my question was that the 15A rating on the receptacle is for each plug, not the combined of the duplex

BMitch

21:40

@MatthewPK I think the answer is that you shouldn't be plugging in anything more than a 15 amp device into that outlet, which is a different way of looking at why they used a 15A plug on a 20A circuit. It's possible that running 20A over a 15A receptacle would result in a failure, but I wouldn't be surprised if outlet manufacturers use the same 20A parts with a different plug face, so you wouldn't experience any issues.

Niall C.

21:59

@KarlKatzke Should "cement project" be "cement product"?

Karl Katzke

@NiallC. OOps. Yes.

Thanks, fixed.

I can't even blame autocorrect for that one.

@NiallC. BTW, one of the reasons i've had to fire work on my house up in a serious way is that we're probably moving (back) to Portland.

Niall C.

In a good way, I hope

Karl Katzke

Well, we want to relocate, and while I didn't want to move back to Portland ... been there, done that, got the Dandy Warhols t-shirt, ... all our friends are there.

So my girlfriend really wants to live there, and I'm not strong enough to disagree. :-P

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