Most Popular
1500 questions
15
votes
7 answers
How can I fix a towel bar pulled from the wall?
My father-in-law leaned on the towel bar to rise from the toilet, which ripped both sides out of the wall. The holes are pretty large, almost an inch on one side, and this is the second time it's been repaired (originally with mesh tape on the right…
Elizabeth Tull
- 151
- 1
- 3
15
votes
6 answers
Should I rewire my house?
I am a new homeowner and have started doing some electrical upgrades. The problem I've run into is that the house was built in 1960 and the electrical system as a whole is grounded via the conduit with no ground wire present. Most components I've…
JackTrade
- 157
- 1
- 3
15
votes
2 answers
What hand tool has a long spiral shank with cutting teeth?
I came across the tool pictured in my collection and cannot imagine its purpose. It's a long metal pick, with sharp studs running down it in a spiral. It ends in a tip that seems to be meant to make holes. It's very sturdy.
Jeremy
- 273
- 2
- 6
15
votes
2 answers
How do I prevent the bolts in my snow blower rotor from breaking?
We got about 12" of snow today and my snow blower lasted only 30 minutes before shearing off one of the 1/4" bolts that holds the rotary blade in place. This is the second time this has happened in as many snow blowing adventures.
What is the right…
forrest
- 253
- 2
- 5
15
votes
4 answers
What are these metal strips on our garage walls for?
In a brick outdoor garage building we have metal banding attached vertically to the walls. They seem to be pre drilled, as if they are intended to facilitate fixing additional fixtures e.g shelves. Is that their intended use? They also seem to be…
codecowboy
- 337
- 4
- 9
15
votes
3 answers
Why was a high wall plug installed in a 1959 home?
In our 1959 ranch-style home there is an outlet on a living room wall more than halfway up. Anyone know for what use this may have been installed? It looks built-in when the house was built.
Hilldilly
- 151
- 1
- 4
15
votes
3 answers
How to drill through wall without hitting boiler on the other side
I need to drill a hole through from my living room to my garage to put an ethernet run between them. I can only drill through from the living room in one spot due to the positioning of the electrical box that I want the ethernet cable to emerge at.…
lriley
- 153
- 1
- 8
15
votes
2 answers
What is this hook on a strike/panic door?
We are installing a panic door and can't figure out and/or find on internet what is this hook-like thing on a striker/panic bar:
It does not respond to pressing on the bar and appears to be just getting in the way, making it impossible to open the…
Vanity Slug - codidact.com
- 261
- 2
- 6
15
votes
2 answers
What should a homeowner look for in a torque driver for DIY electrical work?
If I want to add a torque driver to my toolbox, so I can improve the quality of DIY electrical work in my home, what is a suitable torque range and precision I should look for? It should be suitable for use with breakers, panel buses, outlets, and…
jay613
- 37,422
- 2
- 51
- 148
15
votes
4 answers
How do I self-repair a section of crumbling basement wall, or should I hire a professional?
How do I self-repair a section of crumbling basement wall, or should I hire a professional?
Background:
How I discovered it:
I removed some exposed blue foam insulation from my basement walls to comply with my home insurer's request (part of the…
user138192
15
votes
4 answers
Why are there loops of copper water pipe coming out of my concrete floor?
Pulled out an old tub, and back in the wall, I found 7 water lines that come up, connect to each other, and then go back down. They were not attached to the tub at all. Why 7??
Can I use these for a new tub faucet location?
kthornbloom
- 321
- 1
- 4
- 12
15
votes
1 answer
3 position light switch beeps and flashes when down
I’ve come across something I’ve never seen before and can’t find anything on the internet about. My house has a light switch by the front door that powers my exterior lights. The switch has 3 positions up = on, center = off, down = blinking lights…
Michael Swift
- 151
- 3
15
votes
2 answers
Is it safe to remove old rusty nails from a wooden beam?
During the renovation of our old house I uncovered a load-bearing beam which has a lot of old rusty nails just sticking out of it. By "a lot" I mean that there are around 50 nails in random places on a 2.5 meter long beam. Should I pull these nails…
Andor Polgar
- 253
- 2
- 7
15
votes
1 answer
Disconnecting a gas stove (New Zealand)
We are having a new gas stove delivered and I consulted a gas fitter to get the old one disconnected (so the delivery people can take it away) and come fit the new one.
The gas fitter surprised me when he said I could disconnect it myself, as there…
Moo
- 676
- 1
- 5
- 14
15
votes
11 answers
Is it safe to use a drill bit with a half broken tip?
I broke the tip of the masonry drill bit. The tip looks like this now. Half of it is missing, and it seems that the tip itself moved slightly towards the center (since at the bottom, it is parallel to the shaft).
Is it still safe to use the drill…
Arseni Mourzenko
- 435
- 2
- 5
- 11