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1500 questions
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6 answers

How do I get crisp, clean edges in the corners where two paint colors meet?

I am about to renovate my room. A part of this plan includes painting all but one wall and the ceiling white, the other wall will be bright green. My walls are lightly textured and if this makes any difference, the original surface under most of the…
L.B.
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Why is this shared-neutral wiring bad?

Summary: I have this wiring situation in my home. I gather it's not up to modern code, and I experienced why it's bad (got shocked), but I don't understand why (physics/electricity) it happened. In the diagram you can see that there are two phases…
Phrogz
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5 answers

Are tin roofs "permanent"?

My house has a tin roof over a porch. The house is about one hundred years old, and the tin porch roof is original, as far as I know. My question is whether the tin roof (which is currently in good shape -- no rusting or leaks) will last…
painter48179
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11 answers

Knowing where to drill holes in steel plate?

I have a concrete floor and I made two holes to bolt a 1/4"-thick steel plate. The problem is that the steel plates haven't been drilled yet. How can I determine where the holes will be drilled in the steel plates so they match the holes in the…
rbhat
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8 answers

How do I measure the thickness of something with a lip or frame?

I'm looking for a device like vernier calipers (ie 0.1mm resolution or thereabouts is fine), but in more of a C-clamp configuration which allows me to measure the thickness of some object's face where there is a thicker frame, lip or ridge around…
pcdev
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3 answers

How do I shift a door's latch hole and strike plate up or down half an inch?

I have a few interior doors that do not latch closed because the bolting mechanism and latch hole are vertically misaligned. If I remove the strike plate I can extend the size of the latch hole, but then one of the screw holes of the strike plate…
Henry
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2 answers

How should I clean and repaint a painted wooden deck?

My deck appears to have been painted with just a single layer of paint, which is now peeling off. I like the look of the paint (when it's in better condition, of course), and am uninterested in staining, especially because I'll be adding some new…
Kevin L.
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8 answers

What kind of tool can I use to tighten a faucet bolt in a tight place?

I am trying to tighten a kitchen faucet bolt (7/16 inch) in a very tight spot. Please refer to the picture. Standard size wrenches don't fit well enough for me to turn it. I've used a stubby wrench but I can't get any leverage because of the tight…
DIY Newbie
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7 answers

Breakers loose in main panel, does whole panel need to be replaced?

I went on a breaker flipping binge the other day because the panel at my house wasn't labeled and I had a doorbell transformer to replace. After I got the doorbell finished I realized the fridge wasn't running. Investigated and found that the issue…
Hart CO
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4 answers

How much weight can a light bulb socket hold?

I'm working on a thing in which I mount a few pounds of weight to one of those light-bulb-to-wall-socket adapters and I'm curious if there's a posted weight limit on hanging something from just the light bulb socket itself. This is not really for a…
Nic Redfield
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2 answers

How should I fill a hole in an exterior wall?

I noticed a good sized hole in an exterior wall that allows wires and things to go from my AC unit into my basement. The problem is that the hole is a good deal larger than it needs to be and there is nothing sealing the hole, so I can see sunlight…
Brendan Enrick
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14
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8 answers

Is there an NEC-compliant method of repairing minor damage to electrical wire insulation without a junction box?

While trying to pry loose a stubborn cable staple that fastens a 14-gauge electrical cable to a stud, I accidentally tore a very small hole through both the outer jacket and the insulation around the neutral wire, exposing the bare conductor inside.…
oscilatingcretin
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14
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11 answers

How can I get a shock from a circuit when the breaker is off?

While I was replacing an old outlet, I received a shock from something in the box. I think it was the metal box itself. Before I started, I performed the following to ensure the power was out: Plugged a lamp into the outlet and turned it on Flipped…
kmm
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14
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5 answers

Why would a switch be wired with its neutral connected to ground?

I'm rewiring a few bedrooms in my house and came across some interesting wiring on both of them: The wire at the bottom is the power source and the wire at the top goes up to the light/fan. Why would they pigtail the hot off the connected…
jjj
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5 answers

Choosing the right machine screw for a threaded hole in a computer monitor mount

The SENSE M2488C computer monitor pictured here has 4 machine screw holes at standard spacing around the label on the back of the monitor. I plan to mount it from a ceiling mount, not on my desk. I have a ceiling mount bracket with holes of exactly…
talkaboutquality
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