Home Improvement Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
14
votes
5 answers

To rake or not to rake snow off of roof

First time owning a house with a roof that can be raked, It is a shingled roof. The question is - Should I be doing it? We live in Northeast (it's snowing as we speak) and icicles do form on the roof in several places. I assumed I need to rake the…
user129995
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8 answers

Fix puncture in Ikea Linmon table

I'm using an IKEA Linmon plywood table 150x75 as a desk and the monitor stand I've been using did this at some point over the weekend. Looking for a cheap fix to help keep the structure of the table. As it is just my desk doesn't need to be pretty,…
Michaelh
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3 answers

Is a ground required when replacing an old single pole single throw switch?

I need to replace a switch that controls a single light source in a bathroom. The switch has two wires connected to it. I bought a replacement switch that has two screws (one for each wire), and a green ground screw. Is it OK to connect just the…
jglouie
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7 answers

How do I keep my Christmas tree from falling over?

It never fails: I bring home a 9-foot pine, cut the trunk flat, remove the lower branches, and place our Christmas tree in the stand only to have it fall over a little later in the evening. How can I prevent this "Christmas tradition" from ever…
Jon Ericson
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5 answers

Who is the right professional to call for drainage issues?

I've got some concerns about the drainage on our property and want to consult with a professional about. The problems, I'm not sure what kind of professional to call. To provide some context, here's the issues I'm concerned about: During heavy…
SredniV
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1 answer

Electrical wire nut melted

I recently completed replacing all outlets and switches in my house. In just about each room in the house one outlet had 3 black and 3 white wires going into it. The receptacles I purchased had room for max 2. You could side wire or backstab. I side…
Jordan Alhadeff
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14
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3 answers

What is "knob and tube wiring"?

I assume this is some USA wiring system, am I right?
Walker
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14
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5 answers

What is the purpose of this joint in my wall stud?

I am getting ready to install a new bathtub and shower. After ripping everything out I noticed all the studs behind the original bathtub wall have cuts. See photo. If anyone can explain why the studs are pieced together this way I would appreciate…
homegrown
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4 answers

What would cause the water pressure to be too high for just a second?

Lately when I turn on any faucet in my house the water comes rushing out at about twice the normal pressure for about half a second and then drops to normal pressure. I am worried the pressure is building up to high in the pipes. If I turn off the…
Ken
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14
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7 answers

A type of compartment that rises out of a desk

I'm building a computer desk and I had the idea to hide some speakers in a compartment towards the back. I'd like the speakers to pop up out of the desk on some kind of mechanism that rises up, kind of like an old top loading VCR, maybe something…
Bamboo
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14
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9 answers

What is a proper way to support/suspend cat6 cable in a drop ceiling?

I am trying to run some cat6 cable in the drop ceiling of my basement. I want to run 3x CAT6-CMP cables that from what i understand should not rest on ceiling tiles. From what i have read, the support needs to be attached to something other than…
skimon
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1 answer

Are these drywall screws driven too deep into the sheet?

I hired a company to hang drywall on my ceiling and then finish all surfaces so I could paint. Included are pics I took of a few of their more excessively-sunken screws. I said to one of the guys, "Not to criticize your work, but aren't you…
oscilatingcretin
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14
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8 answers

Gluing two halves of a door together

Needed a door that matches that the doors from 1940s in my house. So I bought a 30" door on Craigslist and cut it down to 23" by cutting out the middle of the door as you can see in the pictures. I'm faced with two decisions that I would like some…
Wynne
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14
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6 answers

Does my toilet drain poorly because of bad venting?

I have been in the house for about a year and the toilet has always had poor drainage. It doesn't overflow but there's hardly any suction at all when you flush it. The tub next to the toilet drains very slowly and will gradually fill up when using…
Phaelax z
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14
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2 answers

Help wiring a pendant light

I’m installing a pendant light. I took down the old light and I’m having trouble figuring out how to wire the new one. My ceiling has a white, black and copper ground wire. My pendant light has a copper wire, then a black, white and green wire. …
Rj0614
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