Home Improvement Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
13
votes
5 answers

Can different gauge wiring be used in the same circuit?

I am extending a lighting and outlet circuit in a basement. The current setup has the following characteristics 15 amp. circuit breaker (200 amp service) 4 existing lighting fixtures using CFL bulbs (~ 20 W each) 1 existing double duplex outlet box…
bib
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7 answers

What is an adjustable wrench fit for tightening bolts?

The other day I saw a plumber tighten a bolt with what looked like an adjustable wrench. But it seemed like he didn't need to take it off the bolt every time to turn it further. Rather, it looked like the wrench's jaws were non parallel, or perhaps…
ispiro
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4 answers

Plumber got his sewer jetter hose stuck. Whose fault is it?

On Wednesday, a service plumber came to my house to jet the drain for my kitchen sink. He came around 9 a.m. and by 9:30 had pushed his hose beyond the clog. Then he spent 3 hours trying to get his hose out. He went to lunch and came back with a…
B. Goddard
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13
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6 answers

Need to reduce voltage from 245v to under 240v for large printer

I run a home business and have recently purchased a large HP 800w latex printer that requires a 220v outlet. The manufacturer of the printer requires there to be no more than 240v going into the printer. I am sitting at 245v and need to lower it or…
Rodney
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13
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3 answers

Crack across front of garage floor

I have a crack across the entire front of my garage floor. I believe that the crack was caused by a poor drainage issue that has been corrected. The drainage issue also caused the pavers in front of the garage to sink. Although I believe the…
Dean
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13
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6 answers

Tips for keeping a ladder steady when it is leaning against a sloped roof

I cannot come up with a reliable way to keep the ladder steady when it's leaning against the shed roof. I need to paint the trim two storeys up. When the right side of the ladder touches the roof edge at the point indicated by the arrow in the…
mr blint
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13
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8 answers

Is it possible to replace just the antique locks or will I need to get whole new doors?

In the house I bought the doors are old but ok. However, the handle & locks are very old and we prefer to replace them. I am referring to the doors for the rooms inside the house. Now the question is, is it possible to replace just the handle and…
gyuunyuu
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13
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5 answers

How do I consistently drive drywall screws to the correct depth?

Is there a special technique or tool for consistently placing drywall screws correctly? I'm using a standard Dewalt DWD115K (with no auto-stop mechanism) so I'm usually paranoid of going too deep with screws... which results in stopping the screw…
Mike B
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13
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8 answers

Are curtains effective for keeping the room warm?

I live in a rented apartment and I am trying to find solutions to keep the heat in. The apartment has several big windows (the 'living room' has one wall that is 80% windows) and I have to run the heat a lot to keep it warm inside. Do curtains…
Kate Plany
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13
votes
8 answers

How do I place electrical conduit under a creek?

Short version: I need to run 4" PVC electrical conduit under a 4' wide creek where the water is usually 1-4" deep. Code in this area requires cable in conduit to be 18" deep. I do want to keep it that deep or, if I can manage it, maybe 24" deep so…
Tango
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13
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9 answers

How do I remove a drill bit that is stuck due to an overtightened chuck?

I recently bought a Bosch PSB 500 RE power drill and already I kinda screwed up the machine. The chuck is keyless, consisting of two parts which I'll refer to as the head and the base. You would hold the base and rotate the head relative to the…
Moataz Elmasry
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13
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3 answers

How can I add valves to supply lines when the lines are soldered to the faucet?

I am trying to replace an old faucet that my 3 yo child is unable to use because of its design. I'm new to plumbing but actively reading. I haven't seen these supply lines w/o valves before. This looks like the pipes are going straight into the…
eszed
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13
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9 answers

Is it possible to dangerously short a U.S. power outlet with multimeter probe?

I was recently told that the common 120V electric receptacles (non-GFCI) found in North American homes can be extremely dangerous to measure using a multimeter. FYI, this came up while I was checking proper connectivity of the wiring directly using…
Travis
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13
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2 answers

Is my p-trap installed correctly?

I just moved into a new house and am having a problem where the sink takes longer than normal to drain. Also, while using the shower, there is a gurgling from the sink. I tried some drain cleaner, but these were supposed to be newly installed lines.…
Jon Moore
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13
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3 answers

Bang sound and breaker has tripped, anything else to check?

Today I heard a moderately loud "bang" sound whilst in the house, similar to someone dropping a heavy book, and the upstairs sockets all lost power (sockets has its own breaker). I noticed that the breaker had tripped (not the RCD) and after…
SomeoneLostPower
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