Home Improvement Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
14
votes
1 answer

How do I know if my wiring is aluminium or copper?

In this answer, Chris has mentioned that, before replacing a worn-out electric outlet, it is important to know whether the building has an aluminium or copper wiring. How can I get this information? I live in a rented apartment, and the homeowner…
Erel Segal-Halevi
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7 answers

What's the least intrusive way to find out what's in a wall?

I'm getting ready to mount a flatscreen TV on our living room wall and would like to route various cables through it (e.g. surround sound speakers, HDMI, etc). I appreciate the AWESOME tips here, but I think I'm missing something important: How can…
Mike B
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2 answers

What type of tape do I use on a dryer vent?

I need to install a dryer periscope vent in my new dryer unit, However, it needs to be sealed for leaks. What type of tape should be used to tape a periscope dryer vent?
Rick
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14
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1 answer

Is oil normally this dirty after a 5-hour break-in period of a small inverter generator?

I bought a small inverter generator, filled it with SAE10-30 oil that shipped with it, taking care to check with the dipstick several times so as not to overfill it (though it did take the full bottle), and then ran it for 5 hours, varying the load,…
mr blint
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14
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1 answer

Why were the cold and hot water lines tee’d in this shower rough valve?

I am replacing the shower rough valve for my tub/shower and the inlet lines were tee’d with a vertical section of pipe and capped off. Why was this done and do I need to do the same thing when I go to install my new one? I’m using PEX for the new…
Niko
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14
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1 answer

Will adding another layer of plywood improve shed floor bouncing?

I have shed floor that appears to be a sheet of 3/4 inch pressure treated plywood nailed to the joists. While the floor is "sturdy" in that it's holding up fine and shows no sign of rot, it feels extremely soft. My steps feel springy and even my…
SBT23434
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14
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6 answers

How do I add more circuit breakers once the breaker box is full?

My house was completely rewired by the previous owner. They tore out all the old knob-and-tube and replaced it with modern wiring. I definitely appreciate this, but unfortunately they left absolutely no extra space on the new breaker box. Every…
bengineerd
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14
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8 answers

Are loose-stacked bricks a suitable base for concrete steps?

We have a contractor building a set of concrete steps outside of our house (will be leading to a new French door whenever we get the door). They are using a bunch of left over bricks as filler they told us, and will rebar between them. They said…
Th3sandm4n
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3 answers

How do I properly ground my subpanel that only has one neutral/ground bar?

I am adding a sub panel in an unattached building. My sub panel has the connection for the 2 hot wires coming from the source panel (a 40 amp double breaker) In addition it has one neutral/ground bar which has a green screw head for the ground and…
javelong
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14
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9 answers

How long should I wait before painting or staining pressure-treated wood?

My husband is installing a new deck with pressure-treated lumber at our home in Tennessee. How long does he need to wait to paint, or should he stain the deck now?
Y.Kimble
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14
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9 answers

What can I do about a toilet flange that is 1/4" below the finished floor?

I used two wax seals to set my toilet since the flange is 1/4" below the new tile. At first it seemed to be water tight but after a few flushes I noticed water seeping and pulled it out. As can be seen in the photo, the wax ring slid off center. I…
Andrew
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3 answers

What kind of screw is this from a bar stool?

I have a barstool that has lost several examples of the screw pictured below, and I do not have calipers to measure it precisely. The screw is pictured atop a U.S. quarter coin. Since the condition of the screw is imperfect, I should mention that I…
Joe Mack
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14
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3 answers

What kind of pliers are these?

I saw these pliers being abused for something they’re probably not meant for. What are these pliers actually for, and what do you call them?
Philipp
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14
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2 answers

Can I remove a wall stud to install a pet door?

We only have one option for a wall that the pet door would go in. After measuring we found that the door would have to go right in the middle of a stud. Is it safe to cut through the stud?
Mary mcintire
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1 answer

Is this subpanel installation up to code?

I've just added a 100A subpanel to a house with a 200A main panel, and would like to know if I did everything correctly and up to code before getting it inspected (I'm in WA state USA -- 2020 NEC). What I installed It's a Square D HOM2448L125PQGC…
peter
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